Home is Where the Family is
by mommasnow
Summary: AU that is set in Storybrooke without the curse. Emma is a foster child under the care of David Nolan, who just moved from Boston to piece his life back together. My own version of how this little family came to be. First OUAT fanfic; any advice would be appreciated! Sorry for typos etc.
1. Meetings

So, this is basically what has come from me crying and stressing and literally losing my whole life over this god damn TV show called "Once Upon A Time." I've been scathing the far corners of , and I haven't found a Charming Family story that has completely shattered me (yet), and I really wanted to write this. I have a feeling that lots of other stories that I have been reading and fangirling over will seep into this so sorry if that happens. I'm still working on the characterization too since this is my first ONCE fic ever. :) Anyway, enough with my rambling. Nothing is mine. Enjoy! xx

**Completely AU, the curse doesn't exist and everything (at least that is the plan) is set in Storybrooke.**

* * *

David didn't know what exactly he had been planning but the one thing he did know is he needed a change. He had just left his wife; their marriage had become hopeless. Pointless arguments and simple lack of communication caused the couple to drift away. David didn't want to feel like he was wasting his life anymore, so he left. He decided to move to the small town he had lived in when he was a child. His family had moved before moving down to Boston for his father's job. He remembered lots of things about it. He found himself moving into a decent sized apartment that he had found a week prior to leaving Kathryn. He found himself a job at the animal shelter as well. He started unpacking the things he brought, which wasn't much. The pieces of furniture soon found their temporary place until he could go out to buy some more furniture. In addition to this change in his life, he had decided he wanted to foster a child. Gaining a new person in his life might help him cope with losing another person. At least that's what he thought. The vet technician already planned a room for the child, making sure it was nice and cozy. Just as he was finishing setting things in the living room, there was a knock on the door.

_"Oh god," _he thought. _"The meeting was supposed to happen the first of July!" _He started frantically looking around the apartment and attempting to clear up a few messy places. Once there was a second knock he ran to the door and opened it.

"I-" he started, but stopped himself once he laid his eyes on a woman. He certainly wasn't expecting this lovely of a woman to appear at his door. She had long curly black hair that easily reached the middle of her back, bright green eyes, and skin as white as...milk?

"Hello," the young woman said with a timid smile on her face. "I'm Mary Margaret Blanchard. I live in the apartment over. Welcome! it's nice to see a new face in town." She held out a plate with an intoxicating scent wafting from them.

"Uh, I-" he started again, just stopping to clear his throat and give her a charming smile. "I'm David Nolan," he said, taking her hand and shaking it. "Nice to meet you."

She smiled again and held up a plate. "I hope you like chocolate chip cookies. I wouldn't want to welcome you empty handed." David chuckled slightly and carefully took them from her and led her inside.

"Sorry it's a bit messy. I've just started moving things in," he said, looking around and picking up a cookie.

"No need to apologize, I came over unannounced," she responded, giving him another gentle smile. He returned it again and took a bite of a cookie.

"Whoa, these are really good!" he exclaimed. "What did you do to them?" he asked, shoving the rest of it rather unceremoniously into his mouth and frowned. "Is that. Is that cinnamon I taste?"

A look of surprise and worry came over her face as it turned a shade of red. "Oh goodness! I'm sorry, It's a habit of mine, I put cinnamon in everything," she muttered, looking down at her feet.

He shook his head. "It's great!" he said picking up another one. Mary Margaret sighed of relief and loosened her grip on the chair back she had been holding onto.

"I'm happy you like them," she murmured, then glanced at the time. "Oh goodness! It's really that late?!" He frowned at her outburst and looked at the clock, 7:15 p.m.

"It's not that late!" he exclaimed not wanting her to go then realized his outburst and asked, "What's wrong?" in a quieter voice as she headed to the door.

"I have to finish grading projects for tomorrow. I'm a 5th grade teacher at the school. I just meant to drop off the cookies and welcome you," she explained.

He sighed, failing to hide his disappointment and followed her to the door. "Oh, well thank you for welcoming me, and for the cookies," he said smiling. "Good luck with the projects."

Mary Margaret nodded then walked down the steps to go to her door. He watched her leave and shook his head. _"Wow," _he thought. _"Thank god she wasn't the social worker." _

She spent the rest of the night grading those projects. Her students were extremely creative with their assignment, but she kept getting distracted by David. That hair, the build of his body, those piercing blue eyes. Mary Margaret never thought she'd see such stunning eyes as his. She finished the projects still thinking about him in general. She felt as though there was an invisible string pulling her thoughts back to him. Waking up the next morning, she was almost sure she had a dream about him. Mary Margaret got dressed in a simple floral dress with white tights, her signature scarf and hat, and grabbed her coat, bags, and then headed to school. The day went on as usual; her teaching, the students learning. Once she finished getting her things together, she headed to the diner to get some take out before heading home. She waited at the counter, Dr. Whale was next to her. No doubt he was checking her out. Mary Margaret glanced over to him and then looked back at Ruby and paid, grabbed her food and bolted. The doctor hurried after her.

"Hey, Mary Margaret," he called. "Please, slow down."

"Why should I?" she asked, hurrying down the road.

"I just, I want to ask if you were able to go out this Friday," he asked, almost scared. She shook her head and sighed.

"Look, it's fine after what happened. I'm not interested anymore," she said, and hurried back to her apartment. She couldn't believe him. After what he did to her, he had the audacity to ask for another chance. The teacher kicked off her shoes, put on comfy clothes and sat down on the couch with her dinner. Her mind slowly floated back to David Nolan, why she didn't know, but it was so easy for her day dreams to include him. He didn't seem like Whale, he seemed too noble to be like him. His bright blue eyes won her over from the start. She continued to dream about him for the rest of the night. He invaded her dreams once she fell asleep and continued to pop in and out of her mind for the next month.

* * *

A month had passed and David finally started getting his bearings around town again. He remember Granny's which hadn't changed at all (both the woman and the diner). The vet tech remembered Ruby from school when they were younger too. She was always a wild thing. He also remembered Doctor Whale, the leech. He went to school with David too. Once he saw him starting sit down at a table with Mary Margaret Blanchard, and it made him mad for a reason he didn't really understand. One thing he did know was that the teacher clearly didn't want to have the doctor be with her.

"Whale, I don't think she wants you to join her," the blue eyed man said, as the emerald eyed woman was in the middle of telling the doctor to leave.

"Stay out of this, Nolan," Whale replied. "I'll sit with who I please."

"Not if they don't want you to. Leave her alone," the vet tech said slightly raising his voice and moving closer to the doctor.

Then, Granny came out from the back and saw the two men arguing. "Alright you two, I won't have a fight in my diner. Doctor, leave Mary Margaret alone or get out," the proprietress said. Whale looked from David to Granny and then rolled his eyes and left the diner with a scowl on his face. David smiled and folded his arms in victory.

"As for you, David, don't go starting fights now that you've just returned," she said with a small smirk. "You did that enough when you were in school."

The blue eyed man gave her a nod. "Yes, Granny," he replied and then turned to Mary Margaret. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine," she murmured. He detected a light blush on her cheeks. "Thank you."

"No problem," the vet tech responded. "Whale's always been like that sadly."

"I can believe it," the teacher replied with a slight laugh.

He watched her for a moment and studied her features. Long black eyelashes that were a contrast to her bright emerald eyes and pale skin. Her long ebony hair was the same. After scanning her, he gave her his most charming smile. "Well, I better be going. It was nice to see you again, Miss Blanchard."

"Mary Margaret, please," she said with a small grin. The blond man felt his heart pounding in his chest while he nodded at her and then placed some money on the table he was sitting at. He then glanced at her once more as he walked out of the diner and then went home.

He finally finished getting the furniture he had in place and made sure everything was perfect for the meeting. David didn't consider himself a very anxious person, but right now he was. He just wanted the whole thing to be over with, but of course, most things take time. His heart was still slightly pounding from his interaction with Mary Margaret this morning. There was a knock on the door, and he practically sprinted over to answer it.

"Hello, I'm Sandra Vidi, I'm here to visit and introduce you to the child you would be fostering," the woman stated. David shook her hand and gave her a charming smile.

"It's great to meet you, I'm David Nolan. I'm really grateful to have the opportunity to give someone a home," he said sincerely.

Sandra looked at him, a bit taken aback from his sincerity and looked around the apartment they had just stepped into. "This is Emma Swan," she said, introducing the little four year old. She had a precious face, long blonde hair spilling over her shoulders and down her back. She also had a small backpack over her shoulder.

"Emma, this is Mr. Nolan, he's going to be taking care of you," the social worker gently said to the little girl, who just nodded. "She doesn't talk much," Sandra murmured to David, "She's been through a lot, as you've read from her file."

The man nodded and looked at Emma. "Hey," he said kneeling down. "I'm David." He held out his hand and the four year old slowly took it with her hand. The vet tech gave her a little smile and decided just for laughs to kiss her hand. "Pleasure to meet you, m'lady."

Emma gave him the smallest smile and then quickly moved away from him and hid behind the social worker again. David motioned for them to sit down on the couch while he got some cups for water and Goldfish for Emma. Sandra sat down on the couch while Emma decided to sit on the ground, the little girl started pulling things out of her knapsack when David came back with the cups and Goldfish.

"So, you just moved here? Is your wife with you?" the social worker questioned.

"Oh, yes and no," David answered, sitting down next to Emma on the floor. "Yes to just moving, but no to having a wife. We've separated. I don't think that should be an issue though. That's the reason why I wanted to do this."

Sandra nodded, her brow slightly furrowed. "Oh, I see, well. We'll just have to see how this goes." she said, watching him hand the little blond the cup of cracker shaped fish.

Emma looked between the crackers and the man quickly then looked back up at the social worker, as if to check that it was safe to eat. Sandra nodded and Emma reached out to grab the crackers.

"Don't tell me you haven't had goldfish before!" David said, slightly surprised. Sandra sighed and gave him a look as if to say she hasn't had lots of things before. David nodded slightly then put his attention back on the girl.

"This is how you have to eat them," he started taking one of them from the cup. "You gotta take one, and then make it swim!" He started waving the fish up and down while moving it across Emma's line of vision then made it "swim" towards him and then he popped it in his mouth and ate it. "See! You try."

Emma looked at him slightly confused. "Here, I'll help you," David said gently. "Pick one up." She did. "Make it swim," he said, showing her the motion again and she did it. "Now, you're a big hungry fish and you want the little fish so you eat it!" He said popping the cracker into his mouth again, and she did the same. There was a glimmer of happiness on her face, but it quickly left.

"I'd like to help her unpack before I leave and make sure she's all set up," Sandra said, after they finished the majority of the delicious orange crackers. David nodded and picked up the cups and set them on the countertop.

"Her room is right up here," he said taking them up the steps into a barely furnished room. "We still have to clean it up a bit; get some nicer paint, and a few more shelves, and a new dresser, but I think it will work..." he trailed off when he saw the surprise on the child's face. "Is she okay?" he asked slightly worried.

Sandra, surprised herself at the effort this man was willing to put into making this little girl's life as comfortable as possible. "She's not used to this much space for herself," she explained.

David nodded and smiled at Emma. "We'll just have to change that now won't we?" Emma nodded just barely. Sandra gently took Emma's backpack from her.

"Let's go get some of your things set out before I go, Emma," Sandra said.

"I'm going to go clean up the dishes really quickly," David stated headed towards the door to give the woman and child time to say good bye. He had realized they had a bond, probably due to the amount of times the woman had gone to save the younger girl from terrible home after terrible home. David shook his head at the thought and walked downstairs.

"You know that if anything bad happens you just call me like you did last time," Sandra started, doubting that it would be needed. She had a feeling that no phone calls would be needed. "My number is still in your knapsack pocket."

Emma nodded as she watched the woman draped her blanket and other things on the crib that was set up for her. Once that was finished, Sandra gently hugged the child, and then they walked downstairs.

"Well I wish you luck, Mr. Nolan. Emma really is a special girl. Treat her well," the social worker said, while gathering her things.

"I will," David promised, already a tiny light of adoration coming from his eyes down to the 4 year old. "Take care," he said, as she nodded at him one last time and then was gone.

"So, maybe we should get started on your room."


	2. Foundations

**Thanks for the reviews on the first chapter! :D I'm glad so many of you are enjoying it! I hope this chapter doesn't move too fast, but I really wanted to get it up. Responses to the "Guest" reviews will be at the end! Sorry for typos etc. in this chapter! Enjoy! ~mommasnow**

* * *

"What's your favorite color, Emma?" David asked, looking at the little girl in his arms. After a bit of gentle persuasion, and the promise of more goldfish at home, she allowed him to pick her up. She was still a bit wobbly when walking, and David was worried while crossing the streets.

"Blue," she murmured.

"Really?!" he said. "That's my favorite color too!"

She just looked at him and then started looking at the buildings they passed. The first thing David noticed about her was her eyes; green orbs that seemed very familiar. He watched her for a moment then looked at the place they were headed to.

"I thought we could get some lunch first. We're going to build up an appetite painting your room today. Everyone is going to love you," he said, smiling. "We've been in need of new faces."

She looked around at the diner. It was small, but cozy. Several regulars where in their normal spots. Ruby was arguing with Granny, like usual. When David walked in a few people looked over at the sound of the bell ringing and saw the little girl in his arms.

"David! You didn't tell us that she was coming this week!" Granny exclaimed, hurrying from behind the counter to the pair. Emma looked up at David confused.

"I mentioned that you were coming," he murmured to her. "Not very many people come through Storybrooke, right, Granny?" David asked, smiling at the older woman. She rolled her eyes slightly, and beamed at Emma.

"It's so nice to meet you, Emma, I'm Granny," she said. Emma shoved her face into David's neck, causing Granny to chuckle slightly. She lead them over to a booth.

"It's okay, Emma, Granny is great," David whispered into her ear. "She makes the best food. I heard your tummy rumbling. Are you hungry?" he asked. The four year old nodded shyly and got out of his arms, climbing in the booth. David sat down next to her.

"What can I get you two?" Ruby asked the pair, after walking up. David looked at the little girl next to him.

"I was thinking a PB&J for her and just a burger for me," David said. "We have to fix up her room today."

"Oh yeah? That's great!" Ruby said. "Your orders will be right out! OH!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Oh gosh, Ruby! I'm so sorry, I just got all wrapped up in this book and didn't see-," Mary Margaret's voice said cutting herself off when she saw the little girl next to David in the booth. "Who's this?"

David chuckled slightly at the teacher's surprise. "This is Emma, she's staying with me now."

"Oh. It's lovely to meet you Emma, I'm Mary Margaret Blanchard," she said smiling.

"Are you just stopping in to get your usual, Mary Margaret? It's all ready unless you want something else," Ruby stated, coming back with their food and a steaming cup for Mary Margaret.

Mary Margaret shook her head and took the cup. "No, thank you, Ruby. I have a lot of grading to do. It was great to see you David, and very nice to meet you Emma." She gave both of them a bright smile then headed back out of the diner.

"I like her," Emma murmured. David looked down at her surprised, but quickly covered it with a grin.

"I do too."

* * *

"Which shade of blue do you like?" David asked, holding up several shades of the aforementioned color on different swatches.

Emma looked at all of them, wrinkled her nose and squinted her eyes (quite adorably), and pointed at a mid-tone blue. David smiled and tapped it after her. "Then this is what we will get!" he exclaimed, picking her up again. They got the paint and a few other things at the hardware store then walked back home.

"Excited to paint?" David asked covering several pieces of furniture as well as the floor. Emma nodded slightly, holding onto a paintbrush in one hand and a roller. "There, now, let's crack open those cans!"

David bent down and opened the first can of paint they had. Emma's face slightly lit up and leaned over slightly to watch him.

_"How adorable can this little girl get?" _he asked himself. The vet tech taught her how to properly paint a little section of the wall. Soon, they stopped for a snack of Goldfish and milk.

"Do you like your room, Emma?" David asked the little blond, who was making her fishy swim.

She nodded and then put the cracker in her mouth, happily munching on it. He chuckled at her and shook his head. She gave him a questioning look and then he shook his head again, and put the cups into the sink. He took her hand slowly and lead her upstairs.

"C'mon, kid, we gotta finish painting!" he said picking up a roller, and turning back to the wall once they reached upstairs. BANG!

"Emma?" David asked turning around. He saw her covered in the blue paint.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Nolan!" she exclaimed, starting to tear up and curl into a ball on the floor. "Please don't hurt me!"

He slowly walked over to her and kneeled down next to her. "Emma, I won't hurt you," he said softly. "Let's get you cleaned up. I'll finish painting later."

The four year old sniffled and ran away from him. "Hey! You're gonna get paint everywhere. Emma," he said softly. "Come on, I promise, I'll never _ever _hurt you."

He cautiously walked over to the corner she was cowering in, and kneeled down while holding out his hand. She gave him a suspicious look and then slowly took his hand. David slowly moved closer and picked her up, getting himself fully doused in paint, but he didn't care. He was more concerned on how afraid she looked when she accidentally spilt the paint. Once he had gotten her into the bathroom and removed her clothes he understood the fear that she had to have acquired. Her back and sides were bruised, there was a long angry scar on her back. David hadn't been expecting anything as bad as this he gasped when he saw it.

"What?!" she said, curling up in the tub. David just shook his head.

"Nothing, sweetheart," he murmured. The affectionate name came out of his mouth easily, and surprised both of them, but neither said anything about it. When he had gotten all the paint off of her, he helped her dress again and placed her on his bed cuddled up with her blanket and a new picture book, while he went off to clean himself up, and to pull himself together.

_"It's not fair,"_ he thought. _"Why would anyone ever dare to hurt her?" _He had to stop himself from punching the wall. _"I won't ever let that happen to her again." _The vet tech promised himself that he would protect her no matter what. She didn't deserve any of the treatment she had at her old homes. He came back out of the bathroom clean and clothed.

"Hey, Emma?" he asked. She had scrambled off of the bed when he had gotten back into the room. It sunk his heart a bit. "How about you stay here. You can have dinner and watch a movie while I finish your room."

She timidly looked at him and then slowly nodded. He put in "Snow White" for her and got a grilled cheese sandwich with milk for dinner and then set to finish the painting. He hoped she liked how it turned out. After sealing all the paint cans, David realized something, Emma wouldn't be able to sleep in her room until the paint dried. He mentally slapped himself and shook his head. _"Guess I'll be hitting the couch, and she'll get my bed." _he thought. He walked into his room and slowly opened the door. Emma had fallen asleep on the bed about halfway through the movie. He smiled and slowly climbed onto the bed next to her and stroked her hair gently, a bold move on his part.

"Emma," he murmured. "Em, wake up."

She frowned in her sleep and suddenly sat upright in the bed with her eyes wide. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to sleep!"

"Emma," he said again gently. "You don't need to be afraid of me. I promise, I won't hurt you," he continued sternly. He had to let her know that she was safe in this place.

"That's what _he_ said," she murmured, slowly starting to tear up. David shook his head, and slowly picked her up and folded her up in his lap. He slowly started rocking her back and forth in his arms. She was extremely tense at first, but soon she slowly started to relax and eventually fell asleep in his arms. He smiled at her and tucked her under the covers, and headed downstairs to sleep on the couch.

* * *

"MR. NOLAN?!"

David shot up on the couch to see Emma standing in front of him, a few hours later, in tears. He frowned and slowly walked over to her.

"You can call me David, Emma," he started off gently. She frowned and wrinkled her nose.

"David?" she said softly, trying out the new word. He nodded and walked over to her.

"What happened?" he gently asked. "I won't get mad, I promise."

"Nightmare," she said, starting to sniffle at the memory. "_He _was after me."

He brought her over to the couch, folding her up in his arms again. "Tell me what happened."

"He was after me like he said he would," she started, so quiet he could barely hear her. "You were there too. You said you weren't going to let anything happen to me, but things did happen. He hurt me and you lied," she said, her tone angry and she moved out of his arms.

David sighed and turned to face her now that she was out of his lap. "I wouldn't ever mean to lie to you. I want you to believe me. Do you actually think I will hurt you?" he questioned, slightly frustrated.

Emma looked at him, seeing all of the sincerity and worry on his face and in his voice, but she couldn't believe him. This had happened before with _him. _For a four year old, she had developed lots of trust issues that had become worse as she was moved around. David knew all of this, but he hadn't thought of the work that would entail to breaking down the walls.

"I can protect you from other people, Emma," he started slowly, hoping this would put a crack in one of the walls she had. "But I'll have trouble protecting you from yourself," he finished, sighing.

It was true, although this was hardly the talk he had imagined having with a four year old, it was necessary. The one thing that could truly hurt Emma was herself, and the walls she had already built up. He needed to help her find a way to move on from the terrible memories that had been haunting her. She looked at him wearily and then looked down, hugging her blanket with droopy eyes.

"Let's get you back to bed," he murmured gathering her, once again in his arms to carry her up.

"Can you stay with me?" she asked, looking up at him with her green orbs that had been filled with tears once more. "Maybe he won't get me this time."

David smiled slightly and nodded. "He won't. I _will_ protect you," he said, setting her down, and climbing into bed next to her.

"Good night, Emma."

"Good night, David."

* * *

**Responses: **

**Guest 1: Thanks so much for your kind review! :D The goldfish scene was one of my favorites I have written so far, I'm glad you enjoyed it as well!**

**Guest 2: Yes, there is a crib because one of the children who I babysit for is four and she still has her crib, I was just kind of going off that! Glad you enjoyed it! **

**Guest 3: Yes! I was hoping someone would notice that. I died laughing when he said that. Thank you!**


	3. Breakfast and Nicknames

**I hope you enjoy this! It was a fun chapter to write! It's a little shorter than the others but nonetheless, I think it's pretty cute, if I do say so myself. :) Sorry for tyos etc. ~mommasnow**

* * *

"C'mon, Em," David said, gently coaxing her out of bed, about a month later. The heat of summer was starting to cool down and back to school sales were beginning. The pair had gotten very close during this time, Emma's trust issues towards David had decreased to the point where they were almost gone. "You start preschool tomorrow, and we have to get your supplies."

David had been mentioning this to her since the second day she was with him. There was a little groan from the crib she was tucked into, and rustling of sheets. David had realized on the first morning that Emma wasn't a morning person. She nearly hit him when he woke her up for breakfast.

"Emma, don't you want to get cool stuff at the store?" he tried. She sat up slowly.

"What type of 'stuff?'" she asked. He chuckled slightly and lifted the little girl out of the crib.

"I'll let you know when we get there. Do you want to eat here? Or stop at Granny's?" he asking, setting out some jeans and a t-shirt for her.

"Granny's!" Emma slightly shouted. She loved going there, and not just because Granny gave her a big hug and a treat when time they stopped by.

"Granny's it is!" he said, after helping her into her clothes and patted her head. They both brushed their teeth and David helped her brush her hair. He was slowly mastering the technique which allowed him to not scratch her ears with the brush, or pull at her hair. Then they both hurried out of the apartment about to run down the street, not before running into Mary Margaret.

"Hello, David," she said, smiling at him. "And hello to you too, Emma. How are you?"

Emma turned slightly red and hid behind David. "She's still a little shy. It's okay, Em," he said looking down at her. "Where are you headed?" he asked Mary Margaret.

"Just to Granny's for some breakfast," she said. "You?"

He smiled and patted Emma's head. "We're headed there too. Then we're going to get Emma's things for preschool."

Mary Margaret smiled and kneeled down to Emma. "Are you excited about preschool? I heard it's a lot of fun. Your teacher is really nice," she said, trying to ease the slight terror she saw appear on Emma's face. Emma just shrugged and looked at David.

"Aren't you going to answer Miss Blanchard?" David asked. Emma frowned slightly at him and then looked back at Mary Margaret and slightly nodded.

"I think I will," she said, barely above a whisper. Mary Margaret bursted into a smile. That's an improvement. She stood up and looked at David.

He beamed back at her and looked at Emma again. "Do you want to walk with us?" he asked, incredibly adorably. He seemed shy, and she swore he might have blushed.

"I'd love to," she said, watching David put Emma up on his shoulders. It had been a tradition they had made, during this past week on the mornings they had gone to Granny's, due to Emma not being fully awake as they took the two minute walk to Granny's.

Mary Margaret found it adorable how Emma clung onto him. She noticed Emma had opened up to David significantly in the short time they had been together. The teacher had been observing their interactions after she had met Emma and had seen them walking around town. It was quite an adorable relationship. David was so obviously wrapped around the four year old's finger it was almost pathetic. They reached the dinner and David and Emma headed over to a table, while Mary Margaret just headed over to the counter.

"Oh, you don't want to sit with us?" David asked, slightly confused. Mary Margaret looked at David surprised.

"I thought," she trailed off, then smiled and shrugged and headed over to them. "I just thought I was going to walk over with you, but I'd happily join you."

The vet tech chuckled. "You're always welcome to join us. Right, Em?"

The little blond nodded and looked across at the woman curiously. "Snow White." she said softly.

"What?" Mary Margaret asked smiling.

David raised an eyebrow and then realized, "Oh she saw "Snow White" last week for the first time. Didn't you?" he asked looking at the girl.

"No, Snow White!" Emma repeated, still looking at Mary Margaret.

"Em, Miss Blanchard's name is Miss Blanchard, not Snow White," David said, and looked at Mary Margaret and mouthed _"Sorry."_

She smiled and shook her head, mouthing, _"It's fine." _

"You think I'm Snow White, Emma?" she asked, giggling. David smiled back at her and shook his head at the little girl.

"You look like her," Emma said, getting a little embarrassed at the attention on her, and curled into David's side.

"Hey," Ruby said, raising an eyebrow slightly at Mary Margaret, but then gave a smile to David and Emma. "What can I get you guys? The usual?" she asked and they all nodded.

"Did you like the movie, Emma?" the teacher asked the little nodded and burrowed into David's side deeper.

"Hey, are you trying to attach yourself to me?" he questioned looking down at her and laughed. Emma gave him an sad look and then moved away slightly. "I didn't say that I minded," he murmured pulling her back to him.

Mary Margaret chuckled as their food came. "Thanks Ruby," the adults said. They all ate in a comfortable silence, until Emma spilt jelly on her shirt.

"Oh, here," Mary Margaret said reaching over. "Let's go and clean off your shirt in the bathroom."

"You don't have to do that," David reached to grab one of the napkins. "I got it."

"Please, I want to, and we can't have Emma walking around with jelly on her shirt today." Mary Margaret looked at the vet tech for a moment and he sighed, and stood up so Emma could walk out of the booth.

"Let's clean you up!"

Mary Margaret took Emma into the bathroom, and got a few wet paper towels to dab the jelly off. Emma was turned and closed off from her.

"Can you face me?" she asked. "I can't reach the jelly with you turned away!"

Emma suspiciously looked at her and then slowly turned to her.

"Do you like living with David?" Mary Margaret asked trying to break the ice as she kneeled down in front of the girl.

Emma nodded and watched her clean off her shirt. "He's nice."

Mary Margaret chuckled slightly and looked at her. "He does seem nice."

She finished cleaning the shirt so that there was only a little tint of purple jelly. Emma shyly reached out her hand to Mary Margaret's and the teacher took it feeling like she would burst with happiness. The little girl looked up at the woman with a hint of adoration as they walked back to the booth.

When David saw them both walking back from the bathroom and it felt so right. He chuckled slightly when Emma plopped herself on Mary Margaret's side of the booth instead of his.

"Why aren't you over here, kid?" he asked raising an eyebrow. "You don't wanna sit with me?"

Emma shook her head and looked at Mary Margaret. "Sit!" she said in her little voice. Mary Margaret looked at David smiling, but slightly confused. He shrugged and she sat down.

"Yes, your highness," Mary Margaret said, teasing her. Emma tilted her head to the side, and then shrugged. David moved her food over to where Emma was sitting.

"Let's try and not get anymore jelly on your shirt, Em," David warned, watching a bit of jelly precariously hanging off the side of the sandwich.

Mary Margaret saw what he was talking about, and quickly removed the jelly with her finger. "All taken care of," she said, popping her finger into her mouth and tasted the jelly.

David chuckled and shook his head. "Guess I'm not needed around with you here," he said, smiling almost lovingly at her.

The teacher blushed and bowed her head slightly. "Oh, don't say that," she murmured twisting a strand of her long black hair.

They finished the meal in silence until the bill came. David insisted on paying, but Mary Margaret refused.

"I just came to join you, that's all," she said definitely.

"Oh come on," David said. "I'm trying to be polite here."

"You were polite when you asked me to join you, that's all you asked for. Not to pay."

"Mary Margaret."

"David."

"Emma!"

They both looked at the little blond who had been drawing little pictures on a notepad Mary Margaret pulled out of her bag. She looked back at both of them innocently, but broke out into little giggles, then went back to drawing. They both chuckled back at her and then looked back at each other.

"Fine," she said. "You can pay, but the next time it's my treat."

"We'll see," David said, smirking and putting the cash down for the bill. "Come on Em, we gotta get going if we want to get the cool school supplies at the store."

Emma frowned slightly and looked at Mary Margaret and then sighed. "Okay," she muttered. "Good bye, Miss Blanchard."

"It's not good bye," the teacher said. "It's a 'see you later.'"

Emma gave her a little nod and they both got out of the booth.

"See you later, Mary Margaret," David said, smiling at her and winked.

"See you later, David," she responded, giving him a small look. She watched them walk out of the diner to get Emma's supplies.

"Well that was incredibly fun to watch," Ruby said, coming up behind the young teacher.

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Ruby. Please don't."

"You guys make the cutest little family, please don't tell me you weren't thinking it," Ruby said folding her arms.

"I didn't think anything."

"And you look so happy with them," Ruby pressed on. "David couldn't stop staring at you."

"Stop it," Mary Margaret said blushing slightly.

The brunette smirked and shook her head. "You got it bad, honey. It's pretty obvious. And he's got it bad for you. You seemed so much more confident around him too," she added.

Mary Margaret nodded slightly. In fact she did feel a lot more confident around David. He gave her a certain amount of courage that she had been noticeably lacking before. Around town she was the sweet, quiet little school teacher that everyone loved. But around him, she became a slightly more confident woman, slightly more willing to push limits. Mary Margaret contemplated why that was until Ruby interrupted her thoughts.

"Just, don't to anything too quickly," Ruby advised. "It won't end well, especially with Emma. She's such a sweet kid, don't get her confused either. I saw the way she looked up at you."

The teacher looked at her friend surprised, and then sighed. "So, basically you're telling me to give it some time and space."

"Exactly," the red clad girl said. "He really is charming though."

"Oh be quiet."

"He is! And it fits!" Ruby exclaimed. "You're Snow White, like Emma said, and he's Prince Charming."

"Good bye, Ruby," the raven-haired woman said, walking to the door and rolling her eyes.

"See ya later, Snow!"


	4. Broken Plates and Not Dates

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter, thanks so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I think I might start routinely posting this, just for the sake of consistency. If you have a certain day you want me to update on feel free to leave it in a review or PM. We'll see though! Sorry for typos etc, as always. ~mommasnow**

* * *

"Can I get the Batman one?" Emma asked, after looking from the princess themed back packs to the superhero ones.

David nodded, pulling one off the hanger, not in the least bit surprised of her choice.

"Why not? Do you want to go grab some markers?"

Emma nodded and scurried off to find some art supplies. They had a list that didn't require too many things, but David wanted to make sure she'd be fully prepared, besides, spoiling her a bit couldn't hurt. He knew she was scared of school even though she didn't show it. The vet tech snapped out of his thoughts when he saw a little blond head popping out from an armful art supplies.

"I got one of everything!" she said, dumping the contents from her arms into the basket he had.

"Okay, well, we can't get _all _of this, Em," David said, seeing a few very unnecessary items. "Next year you'll need all this stuff, but not now. Let's go put some of it back."

_"As much as I could spoil her, I can't spoil her too much," _he told himself.

He got a little pout from the blonde and dragged her feet as he took her back to put the supplies away. He saw the mayor walking by and quickly moved Emma as if to shield her. David didn't like the mayor whatsoever. She was cruel, harsh and just downright intimidating. He didn't need her striking any fear into Emma while she was just settling in. She must have moved in after his family left because the vet tech didn't remember her from school.

"Hello, Mr. Nolan," the mayor said, putting on an almost too friendly smile.

He nodded politely and kept a protective arm around Emma.

"Madam Mayer," he muttered, internally rolling his eyes at the title. How on earth did she even get that position?

"I heard we have had a new addition to town, I was hoping I'd run into you two," she said, eyeing Emma. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Swan."

Emma looked terrified as she looked up at the woman and grasped David's leg. The blue eyed man rubbed her back and looked down at her.

"She's kind of shy," he said. "We better finish shopping anyway; we have to get back for her nap. It was nice to see you."

Regina nodded in agreement and watched them walk away. She was extremely interested in Emma, and David as well. Maybe she'd have to have them over for dinner sometime.

* * *

"She's scary," Emma murmured, after they had bought the school supplies.

"She won't hurt you, Emma," David said quickly. "I'll make sure of that."

He got a nod from the little girl, who still clung onto him. She, then, was suddenly overtaken by a yawn so big she had to stop walking.

"Sleepy, kid?" he asked, smirking slightly and picking her up. She rested her head on his shoulder and made a small sound of affirmation. "Let's get you to your nap then."

They made it back to their little home, and David put down the supplies, and helped get Emma ready for her nap. Once she was down, he started cleaning up the family room, which had been covered with toys from playing earlier. After he straightened that up he did the dishes.

He feared that school was going to be a bit of a rough transition. The vet tech noticed Emma had become very attached in the short time they had been together. It warmed his heart, but also worried him. He hoped she wouldn't have trouble with the other children, or her teacher. Mary Margaret had assured him that her teacher was extremely nice, and would love Emma. The vet tech was also concerned with balancing his job and Emma. He had received time off to help her settle in, but now that time was up and he had to return tomorrow.

"I definitely should've put some more thought into this," he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, Mary Margaret popped back into his head. Could he? Or would that be too much to ask? No, she wouldn't mind, but what if she was too busy after school?

_"It's worth a shot," _he thought. _"And I do have to return her plate," _he continued, inspecting the now clean glass dish. _"I'll ask once Emma is up."_

As soon as he heard rustling from upstairs, David hurried up and chuckled at the mess of blond curls in her face.

"You okay, Em?" he asked softly, noticing she was still half asleep. She nodded and settled her head on his shoulder.

"We're gonna go head over to Mary Margaret's apartment okay?" he said. "I need to ask her something, and we have to return a plate she gave me a few weeks ago."

Emma grinned slightly at the mention of the young teacher's name and nodded. David grabbed the plate and they headed over to Mary Margaret's.

"I guess I should've had you change out of your PJ's," he muttered. The little girl shrugged and cuddled closer to him. "You want to give her the plate?"

"Okay," she decided after contemplating it for a few moments. David carefully set her down and handed over the plate. Then he knocked on the door.

"I hope she's home," he said, as the door was opened.

Mary Margaret opened the door, and was dressed the same way she was before.

"Well look who it is," she said, beaming and leaning on the door frame with her arms folded. "Someone just woke up from a nap?" she questioned, looking at Emma.

"I needed to ask you about something, and we needed to return your plate," David explained, nodding at Emma. "Give her the plate, Em."

Emma nodded and carefully held it out to the teacher, who grabbed it. However, Emma let go too soon, causing a heartbreaking shatter on the floor. Glass flew everywhere.

"OH SH-" David said, quickly picking up Emma. "Oh shoot, I'm so sorry."

Mary Margaret looked at the plate on the floor and then shrugged, a bit startled from the shatter. "I-It's okay. My fault," she murmured. "Is Emma okay?" she asked quickly, and looked at the four year old. David inspected for any cuts, which there were none. There were little whimpers coming from the little blonde.

"I'm so sorry Miss Blanchard!" she bursted out in tears.

"Oh, Emma," Mary Margaret said, shaking her head. "Come now, don't cry. It's only a plate, here," she said, holding out her arms. David handed Emma to her, who was still hysterically crying.

"Let me show you something," the teacher said, taking her into the apartment. "What are these?" she asked the child after opening a cabinet in the kitchen.

"P-plates," Emma said, slightly calmer.

Mary Margaret nodded. "See, I have more plates, they're replaceable. But you know something?"

"What?" Emma asked.

"You're not," Mary Margaret said. "So, be happy that it was only a plate," she continuing, her serious expression turning into a small smile. "I wouldn't want you hurt. Now calm down, it's going to be okay."

She rubbed Emma's back until she was completely calm, and wiped the child's tears away. Then she placed Emma on the couch with a book, and turned to David, who was just kind of staring there in awe.

"Earth to David?" she inquired, grinning.

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her confused.

"What did you say?" he asked back.

She laughed and shook her head. "What did you want to ask me?"

"Oh, well, uhm, I was just wondering, since I'm back at the animal shelter now and Emma's going to school, I was wondering if maybe you could watch her after school until I come home at four?" he asked in a rush, and then quickly added, "But it's really fine if you can't. I was just thinking since you're already there an-"

She cut him off by laughing gently and shaking her head. "Is David Nolan nervous?" she asked teasingly. "Wow, I intimidate David Nolan," she continued in a self-satisfied tone.

"Hey!" he said indignantly. "I just didn't want you to feel pressured or anything. I was just wondering."

"Oh please," she said, slightly shaking her head at his ridiculousness. "I would love to, but is Emma okay with it?"

"Em, is it okay if Miss Blanchard takes you home after school on days I have to work?" he asked, turning to her.

Emma looked over at him and then at Mary Margaret and then nodded.

"There," he said, satisfied. Mary Margaret slightly rolled her eyes at his smug grin, and moved to go and grab a broom and dust pan.

"Oh, I can help," he said, bending down.

She shook her head. "It's fine. I'm pretty sure I can sweep myself."

"Come on, we can do a tag-team! You sweep I'll hold the dust pan!" he said, grabbing it from her. "I am sorry about the plate."

She sighed and started sweeping. "It's fine, as I told Emma it's just a plate."

"But still, it's my fault, I gave it to her to give it to you," he said, as he stood up to discard the glass. She helped him locate the trash can and then looked at him.

"I can get you another one."

"I don't want another one."

"Then let me take you out to dinner."

"David!" she exclaimed, feeling her face turn red at that suggestion.

"What?" he questioned, smiling at her reddened face. "It's not like it would be a date."

She looked at him. "Just as friends?" she asked, relieved and slightly disappointed at the same time.

"Just as friends, a 'not date'," he affirmed.

"So much for me treating you back to dinner," she murmured.

"My kid broke your plate," he said as she walked over to put the remnants of the plate.

She raised and eyebrow at him and folded her arms. "Your kid?" she repeated.

His eyes went wide at the realization from his words. "Well yeah. I-I mean," he stuttered.

She patted his arm gently and shook her head. "No, I understand," she said chuckling slightly and placing the dust pan and broom back.

"Good," he said. "And you'll be watching her after school, so really, it's the least I could do."

"I guess it's settled."

"How about we try to find a day after school settles down? I bet you're busy with planning and everything," he added. "I'll try and find someone to watch Emma."

The raven-haired woman nodded and was practically glowing with excitement. "So it _would _be just the two of us. Very well. See what you can do. And yes, maybe in a couple of weeks. That would certainly work. "

David gave her one of those irresistibly charming smiles. "Come on Em, we gotta make sure you have everything for school. Thanks again."

Emma sighed and walked over with the book, and carefully gave it back to Mary Margaret. "Oh no," the young teacher said. "You keep it. I want you to have it."

"Really?" the little girl asked, surprised. "You don't want it back?"

"You can keep it so we can read it tomorrow when I take you home," she responded. "Would you like that?"

Emma nodded quickly and shyly went up to hug her. Mary Margaret kneeled down to hug her properly. "Take good care of it until then, okay?"

"Okay, Snow White," she murmured into her ear, so David couldn't couldn't hear and correct her. Mary Margaret giggled and shook her head.

The pair left her apartment and headed back to their own.

"I _really_ like her."

"I _really_ like her too."


	5. Alphabets and Storybooks

**In honor of GOSH announcing that they're having a baby I decided to post this small chapter. I'm so freaking happy for them. Lots of bonding between Mary Margaret and Emma coming up btw. It's kind of adorable. :P I hope you all enjoy, thanks again for reviews, favorites, and follows! It really is keeping me motivated to write! As always, I apologize for mistakes and typos. ~mommasnow**

* * *

"Okay, Em, time to get up. I have your breakfast all made," David said, walking in. "We can't be late on your first day of school!"

There was a small groan from the crib, and the little girl popped out from under the blankets.

"I don't wanna," she whined.

"But you have to!" he said, mocking her voice. "It won't be bad, and remember, you get to see Miss Blanchard after school. I bet you'll make some great friends."

"I don't know," Emma replied, as she reached up her arms for him to pick her up.

He raised her up and set her on the ground. "Well, I know. Come on, go get dressed," he responded, nodding to her clothes. "I bet you can do it this time."

She huffed slightly and walked over to her clothes, comically slow, and took off her night gown with little trouble. Then she reached and grabbed her blue t-shirt and put it on.

"It won't work!" she said, frustrated due to it getting stuck on her head.

"Yes it will," he said, grabbing the shirt from her and helping her put it on. "You'll get it eventually." He patted her head. "I know you can get your pants."

The little girl nodded and put on her pants with no trouble at all. He buttoned up the jeans for her and grinned.

"All dressed!" she exclaimed, clapping.

"Let's brush out that mane of yours, hm?" he asked, grabbing her brush.

After getting all the tangles out of her hair, they went down for breakfast. Once that was finished, they went back upstairs to brush their teeth.

"Alright," David said, after grabbing both of their coats. "Let's grab your pack and go to school!"

"Okay," she responded, and grabbed her backpack, then put her coat on, and reached out for his hand. "I'm ready."

He smiled and took her hand and they headed out to walk to the school. The preschool was a part of the elementary school building. The middle school and high school were on the lot across the street from it.

"Room 17," David murmured as they walked through the halls. They found it eventually, and walked inside.

It was a very inviting environment, there were big areas to play and all kinds of toys. The playground was right out the door that lead into the play area. Lots of parents and children were in the room.

"You must be Emma and David!" a woman a few years older than David said, walking towards them. "It's so nice to meet you, I'm Samantha Meyer, Emma's teacher."

David shook her hand giving her a nod. "It's great to meet you, Emma, this is your teacher. Miss Meyer," he said looking down at the four year old.

"Hi," she said softly, wrapping her arms around David's leg.

"It's okay, Emma, you're going to have fun today," Miss Meyer said kneeling down. "Do you like to hear stories?"

Emma nodded shyly and looked down.

"Well you're in luck!" the teacher said. "I am going to be telling one once all the parents leave!"

"Go David!" Emma said, suddenly pushing him towards the door. "I wanna hear the story!"

David laughed and picked her up, kissing her cheek and then set her down. "Alright! I'll go, behave and have a good day, okay? Miss Blanchard is going to be getting you after school today, remember"

Emma nodded quickly and hugged his leg one last time and looked up at her teacher. "I'm ready."

"Okay," the woman said, giggling slightly. "Go over onto the rug and wait."

Emma took off running and did as she was told.

David was extremely surprised by her actions, but extremely proud as well. She was getting over her shyness, or the teacher just knew the trick to grab her interest. Either way, he knew she would have a great day today and that made him a lot less anxious. He nodded at the teacher one last time and headed off to work.

The day went on and Emma had a great one at that. She listened to the story, had Goldfish at snack time, played during recess, and even took a nap at nap time. They worked on their alphabet letters after. Before Emma knew it, it was time to go home. She waved good bye to her teacher when she saw Mary Margaret come through the door.

"Hello, Emma," Mary Margaret said smiling. She was wearing her signature floral print dress and a long sleeve sweater. Her long hair was in a half up half down style with a floral pin. "Did you have a good day?" she asked while reaching to take her hand and nodding at Miss Meyer.

"I did! I heard a story, and learned the alphabet song!" she exclaimed.

"Really? Can you sing it for me?" Mary Margaret asked, giggling at the girl's enthusiasm.

"A, B, C," Emma started. "Uhm, E? No, that's not it. F?"

The raven-haired woman shook her head "I think you mean D," she said.

"Right! A, B, C, D, E, F," she continued all the way to the letter Z and finishing the little song.

"Very good, Emma! You'll have to show David tonight. I bet he'll be proud," Mary Margaret responded.

Emma beamed at her praise and nodded. "I hope so," she murmured.

They walked all the way back to the apartment and Mary Margaret unlocked the key that David had hidden in the plant next to the door. She set down her things on the counter and helped Emma put away her backpack.

"Do you want a snack?" Mary Margaret asked her.

"Yes, please," Emma said, heading upstairs. "Can we read the story?"

The young teacher nodded in affirmation. "Of course."

Mary Margaret got Emma some Goldfish for them both and orange juice while Emma grabbed the book from her room. They both settled themselves on the couch, and Mary Margaret started reading the book. It was called "Once Upon A Time." And yes, it held all the conventional fairytales, but with a twist. Emma was completely enthralled with it, and when David walked through the door she groaned.

"You interrupted a good part, David!" Emma whined.

"Nice to see you too," he responded. "I take it someone had a good day at school?"

"It was fun, but I liked spending time with Miss Blanchard the best," Emma said, looking up at her adoringly.

Mary Margaret put an arm around Emma and hugged her. "I did too," she said back.

"I guess I really am not needed anymore," David said, hanging his head in a faux sadness.

Emma frowned and hurried over to him, hugging his leg. "Why?"

"Miss Blanchard takes such good care of you, I guess you don't want me to be here anymore," David answered, continuing the joke and fake sniffing.

"I want you!" Emma said, unaware of the joke and getting upset. "I missed you today," she continued, tearing up a bit.

"Oh, hey, hey, Em," he said, noticing her tears. "I was just kidding. Come on, no crying. It was your first day of school!"

She sniffled and nodded. "O-okay," she agreed, calming down and hugging him tight.

"Well," Mary Margaret began, "I guess I should get going. I had a great time, Em, see you tomorrow." She walked over and hugged the little girl. "We'll read another chapter of the story then."

"See you later, Miss Blanchard!" Emma exclaimed and frantically waved, as the young woman walked out of the door.

"So, what did you do today Em?" David asked.

"I learned the Alphabet!" she exclaimed and proceeded to sing the entire song, as well as tell him about the rest of the day.


	6. Preparations and Name Calling

**Okay, I'm going to have to make a slight change, instead of having The setting be in the beginning of the school year, we're going to pretend it is late November. It's kind of detail that I didn't exactly plan right, and it's pretty relevant in this chapters to come, so please just go along with it! Thank you again for the reviews, follows, and favorites! Response to some guest reviews are at the bottom! ~mommasnow**

* * *

The next two months went on without many issues. David worked, Emma went to school and was taken home by Mary Margaret, or Snow White, when David wasn't around. The two had developed quite a bond. Emma was becoming extremely comfortable around her, and she wasn't ever afraid around David anymore. They had almost developed their own odd little family. Ruby constantly reminded Mary Margaret to keep her distance, but it was near impossible with how she was seeing the two of them almost every day. Not to mention the fact that Mary Margaret had the "not date" with David that night. When Mary Margaret mentioned it to Ruby all the brunette could do was roll her eyes.

"You're not even trying to keep some distance. Come on, Snow," Ruby said, adopting Emma's nickname for her own use as well. "What if something happens between you and David? You've only known each other for, what, 4 months, around there. Emma would feel like she is in the middle of it since she has a bond with both of you."

"Ruby, it's not a date, that's why we call it a 'not date,'" the teacher said exasperated.

"I don't care, I don't want to see Emma upset from this. Sure, I said it myself that you all make a cute little family, but I really want you to take your time with this. Make sure Emma knows too, that it's only just as friends. I'll tell her tonight too."

Mary Margaret raised an eyebrow. "_You''ll _tell her tonight?"

Ruby nodded and smirked. "I'm the one watching Emma while you two go out on your 'not date,'" the brunette responded.

"David asked you, and Granny let you have the night off?" Mary Margaret asked surprised at both answers when Ruby responded positively.

"It was actually kinda sweet," the red clad woman said, shaking her head at the memory. "He got all red in the face and stuttered when he asked."

The young teacher grinned and softly laughed. "He's so funny when he gets nervous because it's not something you'd expect."

Ruby nodded in agreement and then sighed. "Well I better get back to work, and you have to get to school!"

Mary Margaret sighed and nodded downing the rest of her hot chocolate and cinnamon. She loved talking with Ruby before school. They had been pretty close growing up, but lost touch after they went their separate ways in high school. Mary Margaret hoped that she would be able to rekindle the close friendship she had with the waitress when she returned, but nothing really happened. Now, Mary Margaret was almost certain it would work.

* * *

The day dragged by so extremely slow it was unbearable. Mary Margaret's mind kept wandering while her students worked. She and Emma had planned to go get a treat at Granny's before they went over to Mary Margaret's apartment so Emma could help her pick out a dress for the "not date" tonight. Emma was excited, she had told the raven-haired woman that about five times as they walked to Granny's after the school day was finally over.

"Can we get cinnamon rolls with our cinnamon hot chocolate this time?" Emma asked as they walked through the door.

Mary Margaret laughed and nodded. "I think that's a good idea."

They both walked up to the counter and asked Ruby for one big cinnamon roll for the both of them to share and two hot chocolates with whipped cream and cinnamon. Ruby got them their order and smiled at Emma.

"I'm excited to see ya tonight, Emma," Ruby said. "We're gonna have a lot of fun."

Emma smiled shyly at the waitress and nodded. "See you tonight," she softly said, curling up against Mary Margaret's leg.

"Come on Em, we'll need all the time we can get to find an outfit for me," Mary Margaret said.

Ruby gasped. "You're going to pick out an outfit? Why didn't you tell me this morning?!" she asked. "Can I help? Come on please! I get off in an hour anyway!" she added practically begging.

"Can Miss Lucas join us, Emma?" the teacher asked the child, who nodded.

"Awesome!" she exclaimed, taking off her incredibly short apron. "Let's go!"

_"Yes,"_ Mary Margaret thought, _"We will go back to how it was."_

* * *

They all walked down Main Street to get back to the apartment. The teacher wrote out a note and put on the door to David and Emma's apartment to let David know they were at her place, their plan hadn't been mentioned to him. She also grabbed "Once Upon A Time." The trio kicked off their shoes and settled down to their cinnamon rolls (they had decided each of them should just get one) and hot chocolate, while Mary Margaret read the next chapter of the story.

"Miss Lucas looks like Red Riding Hood!" Emma exclaimed as they had reached the part about Snow White meeting Red for the first time.

"I guess we can call you Red now, huh Ruby?" Mary Margaret said teasingly.

"You know what, I'd be perfectly fine with that!" Ruby responded, smirking. "I'd prefer that to 'Miss Lucas.'"

Emma nodded in agreement, and cuddled closer to Mary Margaret, who continued on with the story. They finished the chapter, then the girls decided it was time to get planning on what Mary Margaret should wear for the evening.

"Let's see what you got," Ruby said, sauntering over to the closet. "Hm, I see lots of floral print. Too simple for tonight, do you have anything more, oh, I don't know flattering?" the brunette asked suggestively.

"Hey!" Mary Margaret exclaimed indignantly, "Those dresses are flattering. I get compliments on them."

Ruby rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No, more flattering in the sense that it shows of what you got going on," she said, shimming slightly. "I want you to knock that Prince Charming off of his feet," she murmured lowly enough so that Emma couldn't hear.

"Uhm," the teacher said. "Well, not really..." she trailed off looking at Emma, who just sat their giggling.

"Red is funny," Emma said through her giggles.

Ruby gave Mary Margaret a satisfied smirk and folded her arms. "I'll take that as agreement. Thank you, Miss Swan."

The brunette turned back to the closet and dug her way to back, where she hoped there would be something. She threw all of Mary Margaret's clothes onto the floor/bed. Soon, she pulled out a red dress with black detailing that could definitely work.

"Oh please not that," Mary Margaret said. "I-It doesn't fit, I forgot to take it back to the store."

"Nope, you're wearing it," Ruby said with finality. "We'll wait outside, come on Emma."

The brunette and blonde walked out while leaving the very flustered raven-haired alone. Ruby and Emma planned what they were going to do tonight. First, they decided on watching lots of the Disney movies and pointing out their differences compared to the book. They were also going to have mac and cheese while watching it. Then, they were going to walk by the diner a few times to spy on Mary Margaret and David.

"Hey, Em," Ruby said slowly, figuring that right now would be a good time to mention what tonight really was about.

"Yes?" Emma said looking up from her drawing.

"You know that Mary Margaret and David aren't really together right? This is just a fun activity for tonight," Ruby started slowly.

The little girl nodded and looked up at Ruby confused. "I know, but David and Mary Margaret do like each other, right?"

"They do," Ruby said, smiling. "But, they have to be careful. Relationships can be hard, okay? So, just remember, they both really do care about you, alright?"

Emma slowly nodded, slightly confused as to why Ruby was telling her this, but then shrugged it off and went back to drawing.

"I told you it's too tight!" Mary Margaret said, walking out in the dress. The detailing was exquisite with lace detailing on the across the upper half of the dress, and made it's way into sleeves that reached her wrists. The fit of the dress was meant to be slightly tight, so it actually fit perfectly on her body, as much as Mary Margaret wanted to deny it. It hugged her body like it was meant to, and flattered her in the best possible way. All of the curves that were normally hidden by the flowing material of her other dresses were completely exposed in this. The color complemented her dark hair and brought out her green eyes. Her smooth pale skin was a great contrast to the dress as well.

"Oh no it's not, you look perfect," Ruby said, standing up in shock. "David isn't going to know what hit him."

"This isn't appropriate for this type of not date!" the teacher said, extremely flustered.

Emma giggled and ran over to Mary Margaret. "You look beautiful! You have to wear it!" she exclaimed.

Mary Margaret sighed, those hazel orbs were killers. "Alright, but this isn't a date," she said, more to herself than the others. "It's not a date."

"I think you're going to need to let that go soon, sweetie," Ruby said.

"I think you're right. You _do _think it looks good?" Mary Margaret said, walking over to the floor length mirror on the wall. She decided it did fit perfectly, there was no denying it anymore, but she still felt slightly insecure. This was way out of her box.

"Can I add a sweater to it? It's cold," she tried.

"No."

"Ruby!"

"That's what coats are for!" Ruby exclaimed. "Come on, Snow, stay out of this box a little bit."

"But-"

"Emma," Ruby said, looking down at the four year old.

Emma nodded at Ruby, getting the hint, and walked over to Mary Margaret again, hugging her leg. "Please, Miss Blanchard. You look so pretty! David will like it."

"Alright fine," the teacher said, admitting defeat. "Let me go shower, so we decide on my hair and makeup next."

The raven-haired woman walked back into her room to get changed. While Ruby and Emma decided to look at pictures in the fairy tale book to decide on a hair style.

"I like this one," Emma said, pointing to a hairstyle that called for a half up half down hairstyle by two braid strands on either side of her head. Ruby agreed, it was simple, yet elegant enough. The makeup would be very plain, a basic eye with winged eye liner, little blush, and red lips.

Once Mary Margaret stepped out of the bathroom in her robe, the brunette and blond pulled her over to the vanity and started working on her. Ruby started on the hair first. Emma held up the book as a reference.

"It's going to be a surprise, no looking in the mirror," Ruby stated, braiding a section of hair.

"Alright, alright," Mary Margaret, sighing.

"Daddy's gonna be surprised when he sees you, Miss Blanchard!" Emma exclaimed.

The teacher and the waitress looked at each other surprised and exchanged a glance then looked back at Emma, beaming at her.

"Yes, _Daddy_ will," Ruby said.

Emma looked at her for a moment before realizing what she said and started tearing up. "I didn't mean to call him that! It slipped! Don't tell him!"

The raven-haired woman made her put the book down and moved the child into her lap. "David would be ecstatic if he knew you called him that, Em," she started, wiping away stray tears. "There's no need to cry."

The blonde nodded and cuddled deeper into Mary Margaret. Ruby finished the hair style and stood back to admire her little masterpiece. Emma jumped off of the teacher's lap and scurried behind her to take a look at Ruby's handiwork and squealed.

"It's so pretty!" she said, reaching out to touch it.

Ruby moved Emma's little hand back and shook her head. "No touching the masterpiece."

"Can't I see it?" Mary Margaret asked, turning to the mirror.

"No," Ruby responded quickly. "Now moving onto makeup. You only get to see the finished product."

The brunette stuck to the plan of minimal eye makeup and a bright red lip color. It made Mary Margaret's eyes look even more green and brought out her lovely pale complexion. "What do you think, Em?" the waitress asked.

"Snow White!" Emma said in response and smiled. "Just from the book!"

Emma held up the book again and Ruby grabbed a mirror to allow her friend to see the similarities. Mary Margaret's face held a surprised expression that quickly turned into a smile and she wrapped both of the girls into a hug.

"Thank you so much, both of you," she whispered. "I'm so happy both of you were here to help me."

Then there was a knock on the front door. All three pairs of eyes got wide.

"Come on, Em, I think that's your _Daddy. _Let's go stall while Snow get's the rest of her outfit on," Ruby said, slightly laughing.

They both hurried out of the room, and Mary Margaret ran over to grab her dress and quickly put it on. She also grabbed her shoes, black heels with a strap in the back, and put them on as well. Then she looked at herself in the mirror once more, smiled slightly and then slowly walked out.

"Oh my god."

The teacher flushed at the sound of David's voice and lowered her head. Emma and Ruby turned back to see their friend and smirked at each other. David was just standing there in utter shock. He had cleaned up well, too. He was wearing a nice pair of black jeans, a royal blue shirt, and a black suit jacket. The pair both stared at them until Emma ran over to her caregiver and pulled him to her friend.

"Aren't you two going to say hello to one another?" she questioned.

Mary Margaret practically laughed at the seriousness in child's voice and looked at David. "Good evening, David," she whispered.

"H-hi," he barely managed to get out.

"Well I guess you two better get going before David passes out," Ruby said, ushering the two to the door.

Emma quickly hugged each adult and kissed their cheeks. "Have a good night! I'll be good for Red!"

"Red?" David asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's my new nickname," Ruby answered. "Now go!"

The vet tech nodded and looked at Mary Margaret as if to say _"Shall we?" _She nodded and quickly glanced at Ruby and Emma, before David lead her out of the apartment.

"This is still a 'not date,' right?"

"I'm not really sure."

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**Raquel: **Thanks so much for your support! :) I'm so happy you're enjoying it! Next chapter will include mainly Mary Margaret and David so please stay tuned!

**Guest: **Thanks so much! The not date will be up next week!

**Guest: **Thanks for the comment! Glad you think it's cute!


	7. Spicy Chicken Wings

**On account of the AMAs being tonight meaning ONCE wasn't on I decided to post another chapter! Thanks so much for the reviews, favorites, etc. They all make my day! Sorry for any typos etc, as always! Responses to guest reviews will be at the bottom! ~mommasnow**

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They strolled down the road and turned onto Main Street to reach the diner. Neither had really spoken much, but it wasn't awkward, and that was a good sign to David. He couldn't believe how utterly stunning she looked. Everything about her was so wonderfully put together and completely enchanting. The vet tech had to remind himself to not stare at her for fear of her becoming uncomfortable, and due to the fact he would be able to spend the entire night looking at this lovely woman.

"Wow, Granny's certainly does clean up for the nightlife," David said as a waitress lead them to a table.

There were lit candles on each table, which was also covered with white table cloths. The lights were dimmed to allow the candle light create the proper mood. A few couples were scattered around the tables. Soft music was playing in the background, creating an extremely comfortable atmosphere. The pair sat down and looked at their menus.

"What were you planning on getting?" Mary Margaret asked, looking up at him. This menu wasn't very different from the lunch menu, even though it was more formal setting.

He shrugged and sat back in his chair a bit. "I really have no idea, I've never been here on a 'not date,'" he said, winking.

Mary Margaret laughed softly and shook her head. "Well, I have, but on an actual date."

"You have?" David asked, raising a brow. "With who?"

"Oh," Mary Margaret suddenly turned a shade of bright red. "Uhm, Dr. Whale, I don't know if you've seen him around before."

Oh yes. David did know Dr. Whale. He remembered him from his childhood, and had seen him walking around downtown a few times while he was out with Emma. The vet tech couldn't believe someone like Whale could have an interest in Mary Margaret. Well, actually, he could, but that was beside the point. What actually interested him was the fact she agreed to go out with him.

"You two were together?" David inquired, trying to keep a casual tone.

"Kind of. It was just the one time. It didn't go very well," the young teacher murmured.

David nodded, slightly relieved, but he did feel bad for her. What did Whale do to hurt her? Did he even hurt her? All of these questions popped through his head as the waitress came back.

"What can I get you two?" she asked, pulling out her notepad.

"Oh, uhm, I'll just have the house salad," Mary Margaret replied quickly.

David quickly glanced at the menu and said the first thing he saw which was the special: an order of chicken wings accompanied with different types of sauces. Mary Margaret raised an eyebrow at him as they passed their menus back to the waitress.

"You're brave enough to try those wings?"

"What?" David asked. "Is there something wrong with them?"

"No, they're actually quite delicious," she started. "It's the sauces that are killers."

The blue eyed man rolled his eyes and sat up a bit straighter.

"I'm brave! I can do it!"

"You'll want to have a couple of glasses of milk on the side," the teacher advised. "I'm not kidding! They're really hot!"

David rolled his eyes again and changed the subject. "So, how has teaching been? Everyone excited for the holidays coming up?"

"Oh yes," Mary Margaret responded, her eyes lighting up slightly. "The kids always _love _getting ready for the holidays. I let them have a day where all we do is decorate the room with fake snow and they cut out and build paper snowmen. The group that makes the best snowman gets a treat."

"What's the treat?" he inquired, finding her enthusiasm talking about the traditions incredibly endearing.

"I make some killer holiday cookies, David Nolan," Mary Margaret said, smirking.

He gave her a surprised look and smiled. "Really? Well, maybe I'll just have to stop by and get some of them once you start baking. After all, a plate of cookies did bring us to this spot tonight," he said, his blue eyes twinkling

"Oh my gosh, can you please let the plate go?" she whined.

"You sounded like Emma there," he replied, chuckling.

Mary Margaret shook her head and sighed, then remembered what had happened earlier while Ruby and Emma where helping her get dressed, and she smiled slightly.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Oh! Oh, nothing," she muttered. "It was just something Emma had said this afternoon."

"What was it?" he asked, leaning forward with interest.

"I'm not sure if you're ready yet," she responded, with a slight smirk when she saw his pouting expression.

"If it's about Emma I have a right to know!"

"Not really."

"Yes, really."

"Fine," the teacher replied, laughing at his stubbornness. "It was so extremely sweet, and I think she'll probably despise me for telling you this, but she called you Daddy."

David's expression when from a playful pout to an expression beyond shocked. He didn't really know what to respond with, but he ended up breaking into a huge smile a few moments later.

"David, are you okay?" Mary Margaret asked, slightly concerned.

"Oh, yeah," he said, snapping out of the daze he was in and held his wide smile. "She seriously called me that?"

The raven-haired woman returned the smile and nodded. "She did. Ruby and I were so shocked, and then when Emma realized what she had said she bursted into tears. She thought you'd be mad if you found out. I assured her you wouldn't though. I hope that's alright."

"That's perfect," he replied. "I-I'm so happy." He sat back in his chair again and laughed a bit, and shook his head. "That little nut," he muttered. "I'm so happy she feels the same way."

Mary Margaret reached over and grabbed his hand that was sitting across from hers. "I think that maybe you should let her know you feel the same. It would seem that for a long time she's been wanting to claim you as her father," she told him.

"I think I will. Tonight," he stated with a determined tone. The teacher nodded and squeezed his hand gently then took it away when the waitress came back with their food.

"This looks harmless enough," David said, examining the sauces. Mary Margaret shrugged and then looked at the waitress before she left.

"Can we have two big glasses of milk?" she asked the waitress, who smiled knowingly and walked off to get the two glasses.

The blue eyed man looked at her and gave her an annoyed sigh then picked up one of the wings.

"Why two glasses of milk?"

"You're going to need it," the emerald eyed woman answered, starting her salad. "It's not going to be pretty."

"Aren't you an expert?" David replied sarcastically, dipping it into the spiciest of all the sauces.

"I guess I am. You're going to regret this, and I will laugh."

"We'll see about that."

David gave her one last little look before taking a bite of the chicken wing with the sauce on it. He was fine for the first few moments of chewing it, and then suddenly his little smirk turned into a frown.

"David?" Mary Margaret asked trying not to laugh. "What did I tell you?"

The vet tech gave her an annoyed look as his face turned a bright red from the heat in his mouth.

"OH CRAP!" he exclaimed suddenly as the spiciness had really kicked in. He grabbed the glass filled with water in front of him and downed it in one gulp. It clearly didn't help because he grabbed Mary Margaret's water too and drained that as well. Beats of sweat were coming down the sides of his face, and Mary Margaret couldn't help but laugh.

"You look so ridiculous!" she said in between her peals of laughter.

David responded with a glare, and stood up when he saw their waitress with the two glasses of milk. The vet tech grabbed both glasses of milk, and quickly drank both of them, and gave them back to the waitress. He sat down, clearly sated, and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and sat back in his chair.

"Better now?" the teacher inquired through her giggles.

"No thanks to you!"

"Who was the one who ordered the two glasses of milk?" she asked. David gave her a playfully annoyed expression and sighed.

"Fine, thank you," he muttered, pushing the sauces away. "I think I'll just stick with some ketchup."

"That's a good idea," she replied, grabbing a new glass of water the waitress had put down. "I can't wait to tell Emma what happened," she added with a smirk.

"Oh no, you're not telling her!"

"Yes, I am!"

"At least let me have a little shred of dignity left!"

"Sorry, not possible. That's been long gone, my friend."

Playfully tossing his napkin on the table, the sapphire eyed man rolled his eyes and muttered. "At least it's just you who knows that."

"Oh, no, I think everyone here knows that you don't have any left," she replied, failing to subdue one last giggle.

David sighed, and they continued their dinner without many eventful things happening. Ruby and Emma had passed by a few times like they had planned to spy on the couple. The two girls had been pretty good at staying out of sight through the windows. They even snuck in for a while and hid in the back, and eavesdropped on the couple.

"Red, why did David picking up Snow's cup?" Emma whispered from behind a menu.

"Because he's an idiot and had the spicy chicken," Ruby whispered back.

Emma giggled quietly and they both peered out from behind the menus. They watched the couple a bit more until Emma's stomach made a very clear rumble, causing a few of the customers to look over in their direction, including David and Mary Margaret.

"Hide!" Ruby whispered forcefully, and grabbed another menu to hide from. The waitress serving David and Mary Margaret came over and asked if they wanted anything.

"Oh, uhm, actually yeah. Can we have two pieces of that double chocolate cake? But could you take one here, and one to table 8?" she asked.

The waitress smiled and nodded. "I'll let you keep the menus," she responded and walked away to get the order.

"We get cake!" Emma exclaimed and Ruby clamped her hand over Emma's mouth.

"Come on, Em, you gotta be quiet or you'll blow our cover!"

"Sorry, Red."

The waitress came back with the cake, which was placed in a box to-go, and then walked over and placed the other cake, which was on a plate, in front of Mary Margaret and David.

"A little gift from the House," the waitress explained and walked away.

"Isn't that sweet? Granny makes killer chocolate cake," the teacher said, grabbing her fork. "You take the first bite since you've never been fortunate enough to taste it before."

David smiled and tried the cake. It was astounding as Mary Margaret said it was. They also ordered some hot chocolate with cinnamon. After their dessert had been finished, David paid without any complaint from the raven-haired woman. Then he helped her put her coat on, and they headed out to walk back to their apartments.

"Well, that was the best night I've had in a while," Mary Margaret said contently.

David nodded in agreement and unknowingly moved slightly closer to her.

"Me too, I can't remember the last time I had such a good time on a date," he replied. Mary Margaret stopped immediately after he said that and looked at him slightly confused.

"Did you just call this a date?" she asked him.

The man's eyes went wide and he face-palmed. "Oh damn," he muttered and then sighed. "I mean 'not date.'"

"Do you wish it was a date?" the teacher quickly questioned.

"I-I..." David started and then just sort of trailed off. He wasn't sure how to respond. On one hand he wanted it to be, but on the other hand, he was extremely insecure about it. Why was he though? Maybe because he's getting used to this again.

The emerald eyed woman looked at him for a moment and then sighed, thinking she knew his answer and kept walking. He hurried after her, and grabbed her hand.

"I wish it was," he murmured. "I'm sorry, I haven't been on a date, since before..."

Confused, Mary Margaret raised an eyebrow and took her hand back. "Before what?" she asked.

"I probably should've mentioned this," David said, mentally cursing his stupidity. "I haven't been on a date since before my wife and I were married."

Mary Margaret looked at him with shock realizing what he just said. That shock quickly turned into anger and she folded her arms protectively in front of her, and started walking quickly down the road.

"Mary Margaret!" he exclaimed while running after her. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't mention it before."

"You should be!" she shouted at him, turning back to him. "Why didn't you tell me that?! You'd think that's something one would tell someone before taking to them out!" She was clearly furious, and David didn't blame her. He had been an idiot.

"I didn't mention it before because I forgot. It doesn't matter anymore. We've separated. I left. I didn't want to be in a relationship with her anymore," he murmured, noticing a few tears in her eyes that were threatening to fall over. He wondered why that was.

"You're not divorced though, meaning, if one day you did decide to go back, or she would try to talk to you, it could be fixed," the teacher replied in a cold whisper, sucking back in the tears.

David just gave her an exasperated sigh and looked at her like a sad puppy. She would've laughed if it were under different circumstances. Mary Margaret didn't even know why she was so upset in the first place. It wasn't any of her business. They're just friends. Why would him being separated affect her in anyway. Deep deep down, though, she knew why, but pushed it deep into back of her mind.

"Look, never mind," she murmured. "I shouldn't have freaked, it's none of my business. I'm sorry, let's just forget it happened, okay?" She looked up at him, and there was something that passed through both of them, an understanding. They didn't want Ruby or Emma, _especially_ Emma, to hear about this...fight? Then the pair just decided to head back home to David's apartment to relieve Ruby. Before David opened the door, he turned to face the teacher.

"I really did have a great time," he whispered, moving slightly closer to her.

She looked up at him with a half smile and nodded. "I did too," she replied, sincerity clear in her eyes. "I'll always remember the expression you had on your face while you were trying to calm down the spiciness." David sighed and laughed slightly despite himself.

"Of course you will."

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**Raquel: **I hope the "not date" was to your liking since you have been waiting for a Mary Margaret and David centered chapter! :)

**Guest: **Thanks for your comment! I thought it was about time she started calling him Daddy!

**Please don't forget to leave your own review, if you feel inclined to! :) ~mommasnow**


	8. Bumps in the Road

**Thanks for 40 reviews! That's amazing, and the most reviews I've ever gotten. I'm happy so many of you are enjoying it. It really means a lot! I've also decided that I'll never be able to stick to a consistent posting schedule, but I do know I'll at least post once a week! Responses to guest reviews will be at the bottom like usual! :) Sorry for typos etc, as always. ~mommasnow**

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David unlocked the door, and the pair walked into the apartment. Ruby was sitting on the couch with Emma, who was curled up in some footy pajamas. It was clear the little girl was about to pass out, but determined to wait up.

"David! Miss Blanchard!" Emma exclaimed immediately awake, and ran over to both of them. She jumped into David's arms and kissed his cheek. "Did you have a good time?"

"I thought you were supposed to be in bed?" David asked back, ignoring her question. He gave a look to Ruby who shrugged.

"She wasn't going to sleep, plus it's not a school night!" the brunette replied, defending herself.

"Fair enough," David muttered, leaning over to kiss the little girl's cheek.

"I wanted to see you. Miss Blanchard, did you have a good time?" Emma inquired, turning to the teacher.

"I did, David did an excellent job of making a fool of himself," she replied, slightly laughing.

David gave her a look and sighed. He turned back to Emma and carried her over to the couch and sat down, with Emma in his lap.

"Em, Miss Blanchard told me something today," he started slowly.

The little girl tilted her head in curiosity and glanced at the teacher before looking at her caregiver.

"She told me that you referred to me as 'Daddy,' is that true?" he softly asked.

Her eyes became extremely wide and she started tearing up, and turned to Mary Margaret.

"I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO TELL HIM!" Emma shouted. "I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE A SECRET!"

"Hey! Hey!" David said, pulling Emma back so she wouldn't attack the raven-haired woman. "I'm saying this because I want to make sure you know that it's okay," he continued. "I'm happy that you called me that. In fact, it's an honor. You've made me so happy, Emma. It's only fitting now that you call me Dad or Daddy or whatever you want."

The blonde just stared at the man with her eyes and mouth wide open. David gave her a concerned look and was about to speak, but she moved to him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and curled into him.

"I love you."

"I love you too, kid," he murmured, and kissed her cheek gently. He put his hand on the back of her head and held her close to him. "I love you so much."

Ruby had wrapped her arm around Mary Margaret's shoulder. Both of them had tears in their eyes. Finally this had happened. Mary Margaret couldn't help but selfishly wish that she had been apart of that, but she knew better. Especially with the argument that she and David just had. They both hoped it would blow over, but in reality it didn't. When the teacher and vet tech were together things were visibly awkward, although both of them tried to ignore it.

"So what's up with you and Prince Charming?" Ruby asked one day after school. Emma was sitting at the booth while Mary Margaret got drinks and a snack.

"It's nothing," she murmured shaking her head.

"Clearly it's something. Everyone's noticed it, even Emma. She asked me about it a couple days ago. Come on, tell me what happened."

The teacher sighed. "I can't, I'm watching Emma."

Ruby rolled her eyes, and then gave the raven-haired woman the drinks and turned back to work. Mary Margaret went back to the booth.

"What were you and Red talking about?" Emma asked, as Mary Margaret set down her cup.

"Oh, nothing. Well, it's not important," she responded.

"Does it have something to do with Daddy?" Emma tried again.

Mary Margaret looked at the child tiredly and nodded. "It does have to do with your father, but I don't want to discuss it with you. It puts you in the middle, and that's the last thing I'd want to do."

"But if you talk to Red about it she's in the middle! How come she can be in the middle and I can't?!" Emma exclaimed.

"Ruby wouldn't be in the middle of it. She doesn't have much to do with your father, so it's okay to talk about it with her," the teacher explained.

Emma let out a huff and sat back in the booth. "You and Daddy still like each other though, right?"

"Of course we do, we're still friends. We just... hit a bump in the road I guess. Relationships are tough, Em."

"I know. Red told me that!" Emma replied.

The raven-haired woman smiled at the child's response and took a sip of her hot chocolate. She then went on to change the subject before Emma could think of another question to ask. Soon after they went home and continued reading "Once Upon A Time." Like normal, David walked in the best part of a chapter, and Emma groaned.

"Daddy!" she whined. "You had to walk in at this part?!"

He chuckled and kneeled down with his arms wide open. "You can't pretend you didn't miss me."

The little blond ran over to him and jumped into his arms. Mary Margaret smiled at the father-daughter pair and went to put the book on the shelf and grab her things.

"I had a great time Em, see you tomorrow," the teacher said to the child, who ran back to her and wrapped her arms around the teacher.

"Good bye, Miss Blanchard. Have a good time. I hope you and Daddy work out your problem," she said.

Mary Margaret's eyes went wide and looked at David, who was just standing there confused. Taking the chance while he was momentarily shocked, the green eyed woman made a rush for the door and succeeded running out into her apartment. She thought she was safe until she heard a knock at the door a moment later.

"Mary Margaret, open the door."

She heard David's voice from behind the door and muttered a couple of curses. Mary Margaret slowly walked to the door and opened it. Peering out behind the door, she saw David, who didn't look too happy.

"You talked about the argument-thing we had with my kid?!"

"Was that ever mentioned? No," she responded defensively and opening the door fully. "She found out on her own. Apparently things _are_ visibly awkward between us."

"And why is that? I thought you said what happened didn't matter. You said it was none of your business," David added.

"Yes, that's what I said, and it _is_ none of my business. I'm just a friend, a neighbor, but it still made me upset. You referred to our going out as a date, and then you tell me that you had been married? And you're not even divorced!" she replied getting more and more exasperated.

"Okay, wait. My problem is that you're complicating the situation! Are you not telling me something? Because you say it's not necessarily important to you, but you're reacting in this way! Why is that?"

"Probably because it makes me realize that we don't totally know everything about each other," she murmured, coming out with half of the truth. "And I do want to know you, at least for Emma's sake."

David nodded and took a deep breath, trying really hard to stay calm and understand this. He didn't want this to happen in the first place. Maybe just trying to break the ice again would work.

"Then maybe we should spend more time together anyway?" the vet tech inquired. "That way we'd be able to really get to know each other? Just for the sake of being friends, and Emma, like you said. She adores you."

"How about you and Emma come over sometime next week?" she suggested. "That would be good, and Emma would be there so we have a little distraction. Besides, I've been meaning to have you two over anyway."

He nodded at her. "That would be great. Could Saturday work? Emma and I are doing to Mayor Mills' on Friday," he said, rolling his eyes slightly. Mary Margaret raised an eyebrow.

"She's having you two over?"

"Yeah, she asked me yesterday before I left work. It was really weird. She seems to have taken an interest in Emma and me," he replied. "Too bad," he added, noticing barely a hint of jealousy on the green eyed woman's face. "I only trust Emma with you." He gave her a slight smile.

"What about Red and Granny?" Mary Margaret asked, flushing slightly. How come he can be so infuriatingly sweet? She knew he was trying to get out of the mess he had made, and he was certainly succeeding.

"Well, they're different," he whispered, looking into her green eyes.

"Aren't you charming?" she muttered with a slight smirk. "Too charming for me. You better get back to Emma to make sure she hasn't destroyed your apartment."

"It's fine, she has her toys," he replied, moving slightly closer. They both were locked on each other's eyes. David found himself getting lost in her green orbs, and moved closer again.

"I think," the teacher started, taking a deep breath and breaking the moment. "I think you really should go. You're not off the hook yet, mister."

David sighed and shook his head. "What do I have to do to get off the hook?"

"For starters, taking care of your daughter. I think I just heard a bang next door," she replied.

"Oh great," David groaned and sighed. "I'll see you later?" he asked, looking at her longingly. She nodded and smiled, wishing him good bye and then closed the door.

* * *

An understanding had passed through both of them. They did have a connection, David wasn't afraid to explore it, but Mary Margaret was slightly hesitant. She didn't want anything to happen to quickly. She didn't want anything else to happen that caused problems. She wanted a complete understanding of him before they started anything.

Before they all knew it, the week had passed and the dinner with Mayor Mills was upon them. Mary Margaret had to help dress Emma because David had to work a bit later that night.

"What dress do you want to wear, Em?" the teacher called from the closet.

The little girl ran in and sighed. "I don't wanna wear anything."

Mary Margaret laughed slightly. "I don't think Madame Mayor would appreciate you running around with no clothes on," she responded teasingly.

"I don't wanna go!" she exclaimed, hugging Mary Margaret's leg. "I wanna stay with you here."

"Hey, hey," she said, hoisting Emma up on her hip, and carrying her over to the chair and sitting down with Emma on her lap. "You're going to have a fine time, and remember? Tomorrow we're going to have dinner at my place!"

Emma sighed and wrapped her arms around the green eyed woman's neck. "I still don't want to go," she muttered, looking into the teacher's eyes. "She's scary."

"Your daddy will protect you. He always will. Now, we need to get you ready. How about you wear that nice little red dress you just got?" the teacher asked.

The child nodded and then hopped off the woman's lap and walked over to the closet to grab it. Mary Margaret helped her get undressed and then redressed in the adorable little red dress. Then, after grabbing a comb, Mary Margaret brushed out the long blond locks.

"Thank you," Emma murmured once she was finished.

"You welcome, darling," she responded softly. "You look beautiful. Daddy is going to be amazed."

The girl slightly blushed and hugged the teacher again. Mary Margaret hugged her back, and then the door opened.

"I think Daddy's home!" she exclaimed. "Go see him!"

Emma giggled and ran out of the room. "Daddy! Daddy!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, Em! Wow!" David said, picking up the girl and kissing her cheek. "Aren't you just the most gorgeous girl I've laid my eyes on?!"

"Miss Blanchard helped me get dressed," Emma replied, looking at the aforementioned woman.

"She did an excellent job," the vet tech replied, giving Mary Margaret a wink.

"Aren't you being charming?" she said sarcastically. "But Emma does look beautiful."

She moved over to the father-daughter pair and moved some hair out of Emma's face.

"You two have similar eyes," David mused, looking from woman to child. "It's kind of creepy."

"And she has your hair," Mary Margaret said, slightly sarcastic again.

"I'm being serious!" David exclaimed.

The teacher shook her head and smiled, moving to grab her bags. "I think that you're trying too hard to get off the hook."

David rolled his eyes. "I'm still not off?"

"You're not off what?" Emma asked, confused.

"Nothing, Em," Mary Margaret replied. "You're trying really hard, but nope. You two better get going anyway. Almost witching hour," she added, with a glint in her eye.

The vet tech laughed and nodded. "Very true. Come on, E. Let's go get this night over with. I promise when we get home you can have a big bowl of ice cream."

Emma pouted and got out of his arms to hug the teacher's leg tightly.

"I'll miss you," the child muttered. Mary Margaret bent down to hug her properly.

"I'm sure you'll have an alright time," she responded. "Don't worry. Your daddy with be there with you," she added, glancing up at David.

David gave her a smile and took Emma's hand. "We better get going. Thanks for watching her today. See you tomorrow night!"

The teacher nodded and they all walked out of the apartment, but headed in different directions. David and Emma drove to the mayor's mansion. The vet tech noticed Emma had gotten quite nervous, and he hated it. He was nervous himself, but not nearly as much as Emma. He started wondering why his little girl was so terrified of the mayor anyway. Maybe she just set off a wrong vibe. They finally pulled up outside, and David helped Emma out of the car. Together, they walked up the path to the door, and David lifted Emma up to reach the doorbell.

Regina immediately answered the door. "You're late," she stated.

_"This is going well already," _David thought to himself sarcastically.

"Sorry, I had to work a little later tonight," David muttered quickly coming up with an excuse.

"I see," Regina responded, leading them into the main hall. "I'll take your coats," she said, holding out her hands.

Emma slowly got out of her coat and handed it to the brown eyed woman shyly while muttering a thank you. David nodded in thanks as he handed his coat over, and rubbed Emma's back.

"It's okay, Em," he whispered, as they walked into the living room. Regina sat down in a comfortable looking black chair. David and Emma sat down on the couch across from her. The mayor looked at them expectantly.

"You have a really beautiful home," David said, taking the initiative to start off the conversation.

"Thank you," she replied. "You have a lovely dress on Emma."

"Miss Blanchard helped me pick it out," Emma responded, looking directly at the mayor. Regina raised an eyebrow and looked at David.

"She did now?"

"Oh," David said, internally laughing at Regina's almost jealous expression. "Yeah, Mary Margaret watches Emma after school."

"I know that," Regina replied like it was obvious. "I-I mean I've seen them around town. I just assumed," she added after David gave her an odd look.

The vet tech nodded at her attempt at not sounding creepy.

"Uhm, well, we can move into the dining room, if you'd like," the mayor said, standing up. "It should be ready."

Emma stood up and looked at David and took his hand. They walked to the dining room while Regina went to get the food from the kitchen. David and Emma awkwardly stood there when Regina walked in, who slightly chuckled.

"You know you can sit down?" she asked the father-daughter pair.

David smiled at Regina's laugh while he helped Emma into a chair. Dinner went without a hitch, although it did get to be a little boring by the end of it. David felt like he was under an interrogation; Regina kept asking him all sorts of questions. Everything from Emma to why he had moved back into Storybrooke. She was definitely a bit controlling, but David just went along with it. He was also happy that Emma wasn't too terribly frightened. After finishing the meal of lasagna and a desert of apple pie, the father-daughter pair thanked their hostess and grabbed their coats. The mayor walked them to the door and bid them good night.

"That wasn't too bad was it?" David asked as they walked to the door.

"I can't wait to see Miss Blanchard tomorrow," Emma responded.

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**Guest: Thanks so much for the feedback! I'm working on having more of all of those moments! There is Emma/David/Mary Margaret next time, as well as a David/Mary Margaret part in the next chapter as well. :) They will end up being a couple, but not without a few bumps on the way! :P **

**Guest: Yes! That's what I've been aiming for since Snow and Charming aren't technically "real." Happy you've noticed the blending of the two parts of the characters coming into one!**


	9. Off the Hook and Flour Fights

**Hello readers! I hope you enjoy this next chapter of my story! It's a lot of fluff. :) Sorry for typos etc. I'm so excited for tomorrow's episode! It's going to be so good! Anyway, thank your for 50 reviews and all the favorites and follows as always! Responses to guest reviews are at the bottom! ~mommasnow **

* * *

"I wanna wear a nice dress for Miss Blanchard's tonight!" Emma exclaimed, running through the door into the apartment.

"She said we were going to be doing a few messy things, Em, so probably not the best idea," David replied, putting some groceries down.

Emma huffed slightly. "Fine, but I'm so excited!" she said, clapping her hands. "What time are we going?"

"Well, seeing as we live about two seconds from her place, maybe 5:59," he replied, smiling. Emma rolled her eyes and plopped on the couch.

"Does that mean we have a long time to wait?" the child asked.

"Yep. How about you go draw something while I put the groceries away, and then we can get ready together," he replied.

The blonde nodded and went over to her little arts and crafts table in the corner. They both did what was suggested, and soon found themselves up in Emma's room. The hazel eyed child decided on some jeans and a purple t-shirt. She managed to get dressed with minimal help from David, who had gone to take a shower and change. David dressed in some blue jeans and a plaid flannel button up shirt. Then, at exactly 5:59, they made their way over to Mary Margaret's apartment.

"Well look who it is!" the teacher exclaimed, bending down to pick up Emma. She was dressed in a knit grey oversized sweater and dark blue jeans with fuzzy purple socks. Her hair was let loose and tossed over her shoulders.

"Comfortable today?" David asked, while eying her attire.

She nodded and smiled. "Very much so, unlike the not date last week," she replied, giving him a cheeky smile. The teacher carried Emma as she led David into her apartment.

"What's that smell?" Emma asked, after sniffing the air a few times quite adorably.

"That's dinner," Mary Margaret answered, smiling at the four year old. "So first, you two could help me finish with dinner, and then we could sit down and watch a movie of Emma's choice. Then we could listen to some holiday music while I show you how to make my killer holiday cookies. I wasn't planning on it being very formal."

Emma nodded and clapped as her response. David chuckled slightly. "You have everything all planned out. Let's get to it. I'm one hungry guy."

"Well, why don't you finish off the salad, while Em and I finish the spaghetti?" she asked, placing Emma on the counter top near the stove.

"I guess I have no choice," he replied, slightly smiling, starting to work on the salad.

"Here," the teacher started, giving the child a spaghetti spoon. "Take this and keep stirring it until I say it's ready. I have to get the sauce."

David smiled watching his girls, wait, his girl and neighbor take care of the spaghetti. Emma watched the noodles intently while she stirred, determined to make Mary Margaret proud. His eyes ended up traveling over to the before mentioned woman. She ended up tying her hair back while working with the sauce, which did smell intoxicatingly good. The teacher walked over to him holding a spoon.

"Here, try it. I think it might be missing something," she said, as he tasted the sauce from the spoon she was holding.

His eyes went wide from the taste and shook his head. "No tampering with that. It's perfect."

She smiled at him and nodded and turned back to place it into a serving bowl. "Here Em, let's turn off the stove now," Mary Margaret said, walking over to the stove. "You did an excellent job, dear," she added, kissing the side of the child's head. David smiled watching the scene. This felt so completely right.

After putting the spaghetti in another bowl and left it to cool down a bit, Emma went over to pick out a movie. She decided on "The Little Mermaid," so Mary Margaret put it in, while David got the plates.

"They're not in this cabinet," he said, staring at a bunch of cups.

"That's because they're in the one to the right," Mary Margaret replied, laughing slightly. "Yeah, right there, Sherlock," she added as he opened the correct door.

David rolled his eyes and pulled out three plates. Placing them on the table, he started putting the salad on them. Mary Margaret walked back and moved Emma to the island the plates and food were resting on, and started dishing out the spaghetti and sauce. Once they had settled down on the cozy couch, with the child between the two adults, the teacher pressed play as they started eating.

"This is the best dinner ever!" Emma exclaimed with a mouth full of spaghetti and sauce.

"Hey, you're going to dribble," David said, wiping her mouth with a side of his napkin. Emma giggled slightly and cuddled slightly into him. They finished dinner about halfway through the movie, and after the movie had finished, they placed the dishes into the sink.

"Alright, let's get started on the cookies," Mary Margaret said, rolling up her sleeves, after turning on some a radio playing Christmas music.

"Oh no, Emma, she's rolling up her sleeves! This is serious work!" David said, jokingly, earning him an eye roll from the green eyed woman.

"Be quiet," she muttered, pulling out the ingredients. She put David and Emma to work as well.

They started making the cookie dough. Mary Margaret grabbed a spoon once it was all done, and scooped a bit of the dough on it and gave it to Emma.

"How does it taste?" she asked leaning against the island.

"Yummy!" Emma exclaimed, about to get another spoonful of the dough. David grabbed it from her, laughing slightly.

"No more for you kid, we still gotta make the actual cookies," he said, tapping her on the nose. Emma frowned and pouted. "Oh come on. Don't give me those puppy eyes," he added, visibly weakening.

The teacher rolled her eyes and grabbed the spoon from the vet tech. "You are completely wrapped around her finger," she said, with a barely visible smirk dancing on her lips. David gave her a little look.

"So, now what?" he asked.

"Now, we shape the cookies," she replied, opening a drawer filled with cookie cutters in all different holiday shapes. "This is the best part," she added, pulling all them out. "Can you get the flour from the counter and put a bit out on the space we just cleaned off?"

David nodded and dumped a bit of the flour onto the counter top and spread it out. Mary Margaret turned around to get the rolling pin, as the blue eyed man got a wicked idea. He got a bit of flour in his hands from the bag, and walked over to Mary Margaret quietly. As she turned around, he clapped his hands, causing the flour to cover her face and the upper half of her body.

"DAVID NOLAN!" she shouted, smacking him on the shoulder. He started laughing insanely hard, and made his way out of the kitchen. The teacher grabbed a handful of flour, and ran after him. She ended up cornering him quickly in the living room, and clapped the flour in her hands, causing it to cover David just like he did to her. The blue eyed man grabbed the emerald eyed woman around the waist and pulled her over his shoulder. He carried her back to the kitchen, while she kicked and shouted in vain, and slightly laughing beside herself. Emma was on the floor in peals of laughter over the two adults acting just like children.

"Come on, Em! Grab the flour! I need ammo!" he exclaimed. Emma laughed more, as she jumped up to grab the four, but ended up pulling it down on herself, getting her covered in the white powder. The David doubled over in laughter, having to set Mary Margaret on the floor. The teacher turned around and started laughing as well at the sight of the child.

"Here, come on, let's get you cleaned up," she said in between laughs, scooping up the flour covered girl in her arms. "You can take a bath in here; I don't want you to get the flour everywhere."

"I'll grab her clothes from our place, after I clean up the mess in here," David said. Mary Margaret nodded in agreement and carried Emma in the bathroom to start the bath.

David cleaned up the flour on the floor. He headed over into the apartment over to grab Emma's pajamas and clean up. He let himself back into the apartment and headed to the bathroom.

"Here are her pajamas," he said, knocking on the door.

"Thanks," the teacher said, opening the door and grabbing the clothes. Emma was all bundled up in a cozy towel squeaky clean. David helped Emma get dressed while Mary Margaret went into the other bathroom to shower quickly and change into some other comfy clothes.

David and Emma had already started on cutting out the cookies once she came back into the room. Mary Margaret started humming along with a Christmas tune as they started to decorate the cookies. After a bit of cooking cutting, Mary Margaret lifted Emma off the chair she had been standing on to reach the counter and started swaying back and forth with the music. Emma started giggling and wrapped her arms around the teacher's neck. Mary Margaret started to gently hum along, once the music changed she started spinning around with the child in her arms. She kept spinning until she ran into David.

"Oh," she said, trying to regain her bearings. "Sorry." He placed his hands just above her hips and smiled. "You're not off the hook!"

"Well, don't drop my daughter," he said teasingly removing his hands after she steadied herself. She rolled her eyes and kissed Emma's head, that was now resting in the crook of her neck.

"Let's go finish decorating."

They finished decorating soon enough. Emma cuddled up against Mary Margaret on the couch while David cleaned up the sprinkles and icing they used for decorations. Emma's head rested on the raven haired woman's chest, her hand grasping a few locks of the teacher's still damp hair.

_"Yes, this is how it's supposed to be," _David thought to himself as he watched them slightly dozing together. _"I want this, and I will get it,"_ he told himself, as he sat down next to them. Mary Margaret opened her eyes slightly when she felt the couch shift slightly, and smiled sleepily at him.

"This was a fun night," she whispered. David nodded, and gently stroked Emma's hair.

"Guess she's asleep," he replied quietly, and then started rubbing her back.

"Rightfully so," she responded in a low voice. "I think we wore her out."

The vet tech nodded and reached out to take her, but the teacher shook her head. "It's alright, I got her," she whispered back. He smiled and sat back, they both shared a few stolen glances and smiles.

About twenty minutes later, David ended up taking the little blonde back to his apartment, as Mary Margaret took all the cookies out of the oven. He did return with a monitor a few minutes later however.

"Cookies are finished," she said, smiling at him. "Want to try one?"

"How could I refuse after what I've heard about these cookies?" he asked, grabbing one. "OUCH! Hot!" He put the cookie back on the cookie sheet.

"They did _just_ come out of the oven. What did you expect?" the teacher asked, laughing slightly while grabbing two glasses.

He rolled his eyes as she poured the milk. "Am I off the hook now?" he asked, grabbing the glasses as she put the milk back.

"I suppose," Mary Margaret answered, rolling her eyes. "You charmed your way out of it," she added, giving him a little smile, as they moved over to the couch and sat down next to one another. Mary Margaret pull her legs up and criss cross them after she set a plate of the still warm cookies, and David set the glasses of milk onto the coffee table.

The blue eyed man smirked, satisfied and leaned back at her response. "Good. We're even now," he added, referring to the flour situation. The teacher nodded and slightly moved closer to him.

"You started it," she muttered.

"But you continued it."

"And Emma ended it," she finished, smiling.

David let out a big laugh and shook his head while grabbing a snowman shaped cookie. "She had one job. I think this is the best night she's had in a while. I know it's the best night I've had, since I can remember," he said, biting into it. "Holy crap, these are great."

The emerald eyed woman gave him a sleepy half smile and nodded. "What did I tell you? And I did too," she responded, yawning slightly.

"Someone else tired?" he asked smirking. She gave him a small look and sighed, reaching for a reindeer shaped cookie.

"You wore me out," she responded, unknowingly leaning over to him. He raised his arm almost as if to wrap it around her.

"Hey, come on, wake up. Don't let me loose you too!" he said, jokingly. She barely opened her eyes, and smiled.

"Or what? You'll have to wake me with a kiss like Snow White?" the teacher asked, half leaning on his shoulder.

"Maybe I will," he responded, starting to lean down. Her eyes grew wide when she realized what he was doing, and sat up.

"Okay, okay, I'm awake," she said. He looked over at her and reached over, gently moving some hair out of her eyes.

"Too bad," he whispered. "I wanted to give you that kiss."

She looked up at him through her thick lashes. "Well, you _are_ off the hook," she whispered. He smiled slightly at her and gently cupped her cheek with his hand, inching closer to her on the sofa. They both leaned towards one another meeting in the middle with a gentle kiss. She was the first one to pull back and smiled up at him again.

"Wow."

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**Guest: **Thank you!

**Cate:** Well, you saw he's off the hook now! :) You'll have to wait to find out about a divorce! :P

**Raquel: **Aren't they though? Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for your continued support!

**Sneaky:** Yes, I have. It's actually one of the stories I was referring to in the first chapter when I said I was hoping those ideas wouldn't come over into this one. It's also incredibly well written, and I love it to death!


	10. Forever

**Back here with another installment of "Home is Where the Heart is." I hope you enjoy it! It's pretty short compared to the last three chapters, but I hope you still enjoy it! I'll be posting another chapter within the next few days, so you won't have to wait too long! Responses to guest reviews are at the bottom! Sorry for typos! Enjoy! ~momasnow **

***revised on Dec 7, 20313 due to confusion at the end. Thank you to Morbid Desires for letting me know!***

* * *

"He did not!" Ruby exclaimed, throwing her towel on the counter. Mary Margaret hushed her while giggling slightly.

"He did," she murmured, a dreamy gaze crossing her face. "And it was so unbelievable."

"You have it so bad. Did you tell Emma?" Ruby asked, reaching for the towel to resume cleaning the counter.

"No, not yet. Honestly, I don't know where David and I are going with this," the teacher confessed.

"Maybe you'll figure the destination out as you walk down the path," the brunette suggested. "Now, I know you have to get back to Em and take her home. Talk to you later."

The raven-haired woman smiled and nodded, she walked over to Granny who had been listening to Emma animatedly talk about what happened at school that day. Mary Margaret gave the older woman a grateful smile while Emma hugged and said goodbye to Granny. Then the teacher and child walked back to the apartments. About an hour after they had settled down to "Once Upon A Time," there was a knock at the door. Mary Margaret frowned as she set the book down to answer it. Once the door was opened, a blonde woman appeared.

"Oh," she started, clearly a little flustered. "I'm sorry, did I get the wrong apartment number? I'm looking for David Nolan."

"No, you have the right place," Mary Margaret replied, slightly suspicious. "Who are you?"

"I'm... Well I'm his wife, Kathryn Nolan," the woman replied, looking around the inside of the apartment. The emerald eyed woman narrowed her eyes slightly, and stepped back slightly to let the woman in. "Who are you?"

"I'm Mary Margaret Blanchard, a friend of David's," she answered.

"Oh," Kathryn said lamely. She turned slightly and caught her first sight of Emma, who was glaring at her. "And who is this?"

"This is Emma," the teacher said, sitting and wrapping an almost protective arm around the child. "She's been under the care of David for a while now. I watch her on days he has to work after school."

Kathryn nodded, and kept looking around the rooms. David certainly hadn't wasted anytime moving on, and she was insanely upset by that fact. She gotten his message saying he wanted to talk about some things, and she saw why. After a few minutes of awkward silence all three females heard the door open and saw none other than David Nolan himself come running through.

"Well, I see you've all met," David said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Sorry I'm late Kathryn, work ran over a bit." He turned to Mary Margaret and Emma and a big smile came over his face. Emma ran over into his opened arms and buried her face into his neck.

"Why is she here?" the child asked.

"I'll explain later. Okay, Em?" the blue eyed man responded. "I gotta work some things out. Can you go over with Miss Blanchard into her apartment for a while? I promise I'll be back soon."

The young blonde nodded and wormed her way out of his arms and hurried over to Mary Margaret. The raven-haired woman gave David a slight look, telling him she knew what he needed her to do, but also told him she would need a bit of explaining too. He gave her a little nod and watched them walk out of the apartment.

"So, where should we begin?" Kathryn asked. "I was really happy to see you again David. Things haven't been the same without you."

"Look, Kathryn, I want this to be clean and simple," he started, clearly not in the mood to beat around the bush. "I want to get a divorce, an official one. Not just this separated business anymore."

"Is it because of that woman?" she inquired, jealously apparent in her tone.

"Mary Margaret's place is in this issue is none of your concern what. I honestly don't want to have to drag this out at all. There isn't any point being married when we're in different areas," he stated. "I think it's good to finally have some closure."

"I won't have closure, David," the blonde woman responded. "I just find out you're gone one day. Reading that note didn't help. It wasn't fair to me, you should've talked again, maybe see another counselor. We could've made it work."

"No, we wouldn't have, Kathryn. Nothing worked even when we tried," he said. "I am done trying because it won't go anywhere."

"Well if you keep that attitude it won't," she muttered.

"I have a new life here. I have a chance at doing things I've planned on doing with my life. The situation that we were in didn't allow me to do the things I wanted to. It held me back. That's part of the reason why I left. I needed to escape from feeling trapped," he said. "Here, I'm free. I'm happy."

"That's all and well for you, but what about me?" she asked. "Where would my happy ending be in this?"

"You have to fight for your own happy ending. I'm trying to find mine, and I think I have started finding it. You have to move on. Don't hold onto the false hope that anything between us could work out because it won't." He saw the hurt on her face as he said that, but he didn't care because he wasn't going to sugar coat anything anymore. False hope is something he couldn't put on anyone.

"So that's it?" she whispered. He nodded at her and sighed.

"Look, go down the street to Granny's, she'll get you a room at the bed and breakfast. I'll get you the papers tomorrow, so you can think over it tonight. You can really have everything, I already have what I need."

The blonde woman sighed and shook her head as she turned to the door. "I hope this really is what you want," she murmured before leaving. As soon as he was sure his wife was gone, David bolted out of the apartment and knocked on the door to Mary Margaret's. She opened the door with an eyebrow raised and a frown on her face.

"Care to explain now?" she asked. He nodded quickly and they both walked into the apartment, to sit next to Emma on the couch.

"Okay. Well, that was Kathryn, my wife," he started.

"Oh really, I didn't know that," Mary Margaret said, sarcasm taking over her voice.

David rolled his eyes. _"Anyway,_ I called her because I want to get a divorce from her. I'm sorry I didn't tell either of you, but it just happened like that."

"That could've been my new Mommy?" Emma asked out of the blue. Both adults looked at her shocked, hurt was visible on Mary Margaret's face.

"No, Em. There was no chance of her being your mommy," David replied quickly, glancing slightly at the teacher as he placed Emma on his lap. "It wouldn't have worked. However, I think that Miss Blanchard is doing a great job with that," he added, giving the woman a charming smile. She rolled her eyes and smacked him slightly on the shoulder as she blushed a bright red.

"Oh please, I'm just being a good neighbor," she muttered.

"I think you're doing more than that," the vet tech replied. "But yeah, that's why she's here. I honestly hope she just goes through with it. I don't want anything from her because I already have everything I want with me right now." He looked between both girl and woman, the younger one giggled while the older one blushed again.

"Please, David."

"Did I embarrass you?" he asked, teasingly.

"No, I'm still upset with the fact you didn't mention this to either of us though," she replied, gaining composure. The blue eyed man's face fell slightly.

"Well, I didn't think the both of you would be here, and I would've told you later," he admitted. "But oh well. Life isn't always how you plan it."

"Isn't that the truth?" she whispered. "Well, I have some errands to run, and I have to clean up the mess that is my apartment right now," she added standing up and looking around the unorganized area.

David gave her some puppy eyes that begged her not to leave them, as did Emma.

"You two aren't playing fair! Two against one! I'm sure you both can't stay here all day either," the teacher exclaimed.

The father-daughter pair started laughing, and David pulled Mary Margaret back to sit down. "We can't, but we do want to," David said.

"We don't want you to leave us," Emma said, moving over into the teacher's lap. "I want you to stay."

"I can stay for a few more minutes, then I have to go, as I'm sure both of you do," she responded, rubbing the girl's back.

"No," the blonde murmured. "I want you to stay, with us, forever."

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**Raquel: Haha thank you! :* I can promise you there will be more kisses! **

**Heth: Thank you for your comment! I know! They make life better. **

**Guest: OMG! :D Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

**Guest: Thank you! **


	11. Discussions and Puppies

**I said I would update soon, so here's the next chapter! :) I hope you enjoy, it's mostly fluff in the end. Responses to reviews will be at the bottom like always! Enjoy! ~mommasnow**

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"She said that to you?!" Ruby asked the next day as Mary Margaret sat at the counter. "Oh my god that is so precious!"

"Ruby, it's not good!" the teacher exclaimed. "She really is attached to me!"

"That's _not_ a bad thing," the brunette said rolling her eyes. "And it's what you've been wanting this whole time. Isn't it?"

Mary Margaret flushed at the waitress's true assumption and sighed. "It is, but it's happened so fast! What if something bad happens and Emma gets hurt because of me? Or David and I arguing? Or-"

"Please!" Ruby said, cutting her off. "You're being absolutely ridiculous, and you're sounding like me from a couple of weeks ago. Honestly, now I don't think anyone could tear you guys up. No matter how serious or stupid something maybe, I think you'd be able to move on from it."

"You think so?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't."

Mary Margaret smiled and took Ruby's hand. "Thanks for being there to hear about all of this. You're such a great friend."

"Just like old times, huh?" the brunette said, grinning warmly.

"Just like old times."

* * *

About an hour after Mary Margaret left, Ruby saw Kathryn walk into the diner, followed shortly by David walking into the front door a few minutes later.

"So," David said, sitting down at a table with Kathryn. "What did you decide on? Can we make this easy or hard?"

"What makes that woman so special?" she asked, completely disregarding his question.

"Excuse me?"

"Mary Margaret Blanchard, what makes her so special?" Kathryn repeated, clearly a bit exasperated.

David sighed and sat back in his chair knowing that she wasn't going to let this go. That was one of the things about Kathryn, she had to know everything. She was always one of the nosey girls in school. David at first found it slightly endearing, but as their time together went on he found it suffocating.

"She's what I want, and I think I'm what she wants. We have a connection, and paired with that is an understanding of what one expects from the other," he explained. "And she makes me happy. Really happy."

The blonde woman nodded and sat back in her seat and closed her eyes for a moment. "I see," she whispered. "So everything I'm not."

"Kathryn, please. Don't make this about her. It's between you and me. She isn't the reason for completely splitting us up," he said very firm. "That was all us. I'll even take all the credit if you want me to. I left after all."

She sighed and looked at him with pain stricken eyes. "Fine, we can make it easy. That's all I wanted to know."

"Good," the vet tech said. "Thank you." The woman just nodded and stood up. "I'll drop the papers by your room tomorrow." She gave him one more nod and then headed out of the diner.

_"That was easier than expected,"_ David thought to himself.

"What was that all about?" Ruby asked as David walked up to the counter.

"We were discussing the possibility of making the divorce as easy as possible," he replied.

"Are you serious?!" the waitress exclaimed breaking into a huge grin. "That's great! Well, I mean..."

David gave her a chuckle and nodded. "I know what you mean, Ruby."

She nodded. "So, are you going to tell Mary Margaret about it?"

"She already knows I'm working on it. Emma isn't entirely sure what is happening anyway, so I'll have to kind of explain it to her too once it's finished," he replied, pulling out a couple dollars. "Can I have three hot chocolates with cinnamon and three cinnamon rolls?"

"Is she with Emma now?" the brunette asked, walking away to get the order.

"Yeah," the vet tech replied. "I told them to meet me at the animal shelter today. Emma's been dying to see some of the new puppies," he added chuckling. "I have a feeling I'm going to be wrapped into getting her one too.

"Well good luck!" Ruby smiled and placed the order on the counter in a bag, and took the money he held out. "Keep the change," he said quickly. "I better go."

"See ya later David," she replied waving slightly and headed back to work.

* * *

"Look at all the fishies!" Emma exclaimed, running over to the tank that held the multicolored fish. She was dressed in purple jeans, a white t-shirt, with a black coat, and one of Mary Margaret's white hats to cover her wet hair.

"They are beautiful," Mary Margaret replied gently. The teacher was dressed in a casual flowing white dress that went to her knees, red tights and a black knit cardigan under her heavier coat. "Keep your inside voice, Emma."

"When is Daddy gonna be here? I wanna see the puppies," the child said barely above a whisper.

"He'll be here right about-"

"Now!" David brightly said coming through the door.

"Daddy!" the hazel eyed girl exclaimed, running to him and jumped up on him and wrapped her arms and legs around him like a monkey. "Can we see the puppies? Please?" she begged.

"Come on Em," Mary Margaret said, laughing slightly and walking over to the pair. "At least let him walk through the door," she added, removing the child from the man.

David put the bag on the counter and then quickly picked up the girl again and hugged her tight while kissing her cheek. "How are you?" he asked.

"Good! I got to help Miss Blanchard decorate her classroom a little!" she answered.

"That must've been fun, seeing as how wound up you are," he replied, smiling at Mary Margaret slightly.

"She got covered in glitter," the teacher said. "She had to take a bath before we came over here. Hence the wet hair."

"Then you put a lot of effort into it, didn't you?" David asked his little girl who nodded.

"Can I see the puppies now?"

"I guess, and I have a treat!" he said, nodding to the bag. Emma squealed.

"CINNAMON ROLL!" the child shouted.

"Inside voice, Emma," the teacher reminded again, gently. The blonde nodded as she waited for her treat.

"Alright, you start eating while I get a few of the puppies out for you," the vet tech said, reaching into the bag to pull out a two warm cinnamon rolls. He gave one to Emma then held one out to Mary Margaret.

"Oh, you didn't have to get me one."

"Why wouldn't I? Just take it," he said, giving it to her quickly, and walking into the back where barking was coming from.

"It's yummy, Miss Blanchard!" Emma said after taking a bite.

"That it is," the woman replied, smiling at the enthusiasm of the child.

"Alright, you can come back now!" David said after a few minutes. The two girls walked into the back room, there were five little puppies jumping around in an enclosure. Two were yellow labs, one was a mix, another was a little black and brown dachshund, and a white little terrier. They were all barking and jumping on David. Emma shrieked when she saw all the puppies, and they came running at her once she was in the little area.

"Puppies!" the little hazel eyed girl said, holding her cinnamon roll up. "No this is mine!"

The two labs kept jumping on her, while the other three dogs ran over to Mary Margaret. "Aren't you all precious?" she asked, kneeling down to pet all the dogs, but keeping her cinnamon roll up as well.

David chuckled at the sight of Emma trying to keep her cinnamon roll away from the dogs. "Here, kid, I'll hold onto the roll while you play with them. You'll get it back," he added, once he saw her frown. The child nodded and quickly gave him the roll then ran back to all the puppies.

"I'll take your's too," he said, grabbing the roll from Mary Margaret. She looked up at him and smiled, then bent down to pick up the little dachshund.

"Aren't you just the most precious thing I have ever seen?" she cooed at the puppy. The puppy barked and started licking her cheek. She laughed and placed the dog back down, who then ran over to Emma.

"You look beautiful today," David murmured at her. "Really beautiful."

Mary Margaret looked at him and smiled, barely turning a shade of pink. "Thank you," she whispered. They shared a look, getting lost in each other's eyes, until they heard a shriek from Emma.

All of the puppies were climbing on the child who sat on the ground, and they were licking her face. It was a rather adorable sight. Mary Margaret walked over to her and sat down next to her, removing one of the labs from Emma and into her lap. The little dachshund ran back to the woman and tried climbing into her lap too. David wished he had a camera now. It was _such_ a perfect sight.

"I think that one has grown attached to you," David said, smiling at the dachshund curled up in her lap.

"I think so too, and that's not good," she responded, looking down at the puppy.

"Why?"

"Because _I'm_ getting attached," she said, laughing slightly. "It's _really_ not good."

"She's one of the mild ones too, see? She just likes to curl up and cuddle you," he added.

"I love cuddling dogs," she said, looking down at the puppy again. "But, I can't get her. I don't have enough time to take care of her."

"Oh come on," he said, walking over to her and taking the puppy, moving her right in front of the woman's face. "How can you resist that face?"

"David Nolan! Don't wrap me into getting a dog! I can't!" she exclaimed, laughing at the puppy dog face he had on his own face. "You're being ridiculous."

"But... She's so cute!"

"Then why don't you get her? Wouldn't you like your own puppy, Em?" the teacher asked the child.

Can we?!" the child practically shouted. "I want a puppy, Daddy!"

"You play dirty," the blue eyed man said, giving a mock glare to the the emerald eyed woman. "Not fair. Alright, Em. How about we try it. You have to help me take care of her though. Okay?"

"Okay!" the girl said, actually shouting this time.

"Good luck," Mary Margaret said, failing to hide the smirk on her lips. David rolled his eyes and pushed her gently.

"I don't need any comment from you," he said, placing the puppy in her lap while he went to go fill out the paper work. "Sadly, I knew this was going to happen today."

"I'm getting a puppy!" Emma exclaimed, clapping her little hands and jumping around.

"What are you doing to name her, Emma? She needs a name," the teacher said, petting the small dog.

"Uhm, Eva!" the child exclaimed. "She looks like an Eva."

Mary Margaret grinned and nodded. "She does. Alright, it's very nice to meet you Eva," she said, petting the new member of their group.

Eva licked the woman's cheek and then scrambled over into Emma's lap. "Can Miss Blanchard and I pick out things for her, Daddy?" the blonde asked.

"That's a good idea!" he responded, finishing the papers. "Go on while I put the other dogs back."

The pair nodded, and Emma tried carrying Eva into the other room, but it didn't really work out. The puppy managed to get out of the child's arms and started running around. Emma chased after her while Mary Margaret went to go look at different collars.

"What do you think about this collar, Em?" the teacher asked holding a deep red collar with rhinestones on it. Emma nodded in affirmation and then walked over to the woman and they picked out several toys for the newly adopted puppy.

"Are you two ready?" David asked walking into the room. The two girls nodded at him, their arms filled with the things for the puppy.

"You just need to buy all this," Emma stated, walking towards the counter with Mary Margaret. They dumped the contents across it.

"Did you even get her some food?" David asked, surveying their loot. He sighed and shook his head when he saw none then went to go grab some. "Alright, this is all we need." He scanned everything and paid, as Mary Margaret put the collar on the dog with a new silver name tag that she had gotten the puppy herself.

"She looks beautiful!" Emma said once the teacher had finished snapping the matching leash onto the collar ring.

"She does."

"Okay, you two are going to have to help me carry these things out," David said, motioning to the bags.

"You grab the pup, Em," the raven-haired woman said walking over to the bags. "I'll help you with the bags."

"Well thank you very much, madam," David replied, bowing slightly. They both grabbed the bags, and walked out of the shelter. They finished their cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate, that turned a bit cold, once they reached the apartment and Eva was exploring her new home.

"I think she likes it here, Daddy!" Emma said, sitting on the floor, watching Eva run around.

"Me too," he replied, taking a sip of his cocoa.

"Aren't you happy you got a dog?" Mary Margaret said teasingly.

"Oh be quiet."

* * *

**Guest:** Haha! That would've been interesting to see both of them handle the situation differently!

**AWWWWWWWW:** I love your guest name. :P Thanks so much! Hope this was soon enough for you.

**Guest: **It will be a while, but it certainly will happen! :D

**Guest: **I'm so happy you're enjoying it! I hope you enjoyed this episode!


	12. Accusations and Odd Little Families

**Well! Here is the next chapter! I believe it's the longest yet! Just under 3,000 words! I hope you enjoy it. It encompasses a lot of different relationships a few people have been requesting to have more of! Sorry for typos etc. Who's excited for the episode on Sunday?! I'm going to die from feelings. I just know it. Responses to guest reviews on last chapter will be at the bottom of course! Thanks again for all the support! ~mommasnow**

* * *

The next day David found himself in front of the door that lead into Kathryn's room. He had heard two woman's voices in there. He knew one was Kathryn, but the other he couldn't place. Not until the door opened.

"Oh, Madam Mayor," David said. "Nice to see you."

"Mr. Nolan," she said nodding and then walked out. "It was nice to talk you, Kathryn."

The blonde woman nodded as she walked to the door and waved at the brunette leaving. "What are you here for, David?" she asked.

"Here are the papers," he stated, holding out the key to his freedom.

"Right. Well I don't think I want to sign them anymore," she said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Why not?" the vet tech asked, frowning slightly.

"What do I owe you? Nothing. You left me, and that hurt a lot!"

"This isn't about repaying me in any respect. I told you I take the blame! I'm talking about letting you have your happy ending as well!" he said, raising his voice in frustration. "This is ridiculous!"

"I don't want to be freed. I want _you." _she said. "I want to be able to have my happy ending with you!"

"I'm not your happy ending, Kathryn. We've already discussed this! What did Regina tell you?"

"She told me nothing. She just came to welcome me. That's it."

"How come I don't believe you?"

"It's none of your business, David. Good night," she said, closing the door right in his face.

* * *

The next day after school, Mary Margaret and Emma were walking down the main hallway to head to the car. When they saw Kathryn Nolan pop out from the crowd of students. She looked incredibly furious.

"How dare you!" she said storming up to them.

"Uhm what?" Mary Margaret asked, looking down at Emma. "Can we go some where else to discuss this?" She looked at the blonde woman in utter confusion.

"NO!" she exclaimed. "You took my husband from me!"

The next thing Mary Margaret realized was the stinging pain on her cheek. The entire hall had gone quiet. No one believed what they had seen or heard. "I didn't do anything with your husband," she stated, feeling her anger growing, and tears coming from the humiliation and anger due to the accusation. "Get your facts straight before you do anything else stupid."

The teacher stormed away practically dragging the child with her. "Miss Blanchard?" Emma started looking up at the woman. "Why did Daddy's wife hit you?"

"Because she's upset and doesn't know what she's doing," the emerald eyed woman answered.

"Are you okay?" the child asked.

"I will be, sweetheart," Mary Margaret answered, smiling gently down at her through her tears. "Let's just get you home."

They reached the car, and saw Ruby and David scrubbing the word "Tramp" written in a bright red spray paint.

"Mary Margaret!" Ruby exclaimed, running over to her friend.

"Who did this?" she asked, although she had already figured who had done it.

"Kathryn and possibly the mayor," the brunette answered. "David said that they had been talking about something last night. What happened to your cheek?"

"Kathryn paid me a visit today after school," the teacher answered through her teeth.

"She was really upset," Emma stated, speaking up. "Daddy! Go tell your wife to leave Miss Blanchard alone! She hurt her!"

David had been standing back the whole time looking down. Once he looked at Mary Margaret she saw the anger in his eyes. They had turned a stormy blue.

"She has to go," he muttered. The vet tech slowly walked over to Mary Margaret and took her hand. "I'm sorry," he whispered, placing his other hand gently over her cheek. "I'm _so_ sorry."

"I'll be fine, David," she responded, casting her eyes downward, not able to look at him directly. "I just really want to get home."

"I'll drive you," he replied quickly. "We can take my car." He already started taking her over to his truck. "I'll drop you off then I'll come back and take care of your car then take it back later."

"I don't suppose you really give me a choice in the matter," the teacher replied, smiling slightly.

"You don't. Em, go to the diner and maybe you can help Ruby with something," David said, moving his gaze to the child. "I'll be right back."

The child nodded and looked up at the brunette, then walked over to Mary Margaret and hugged her leg. "Feel better, Miss Blanchard." she whispered. The teacher smiled, tears filling her eyes again. She picked up the child and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, Em. Be good for Red now, okay?" she said, placing the girl back down, who nodded quickly.

"I will! Don't worry!" she exclaimed, hurrying to the diner with the waitress, who blew a feel better kiss to the teacher. The cold had clearly gotten to both of them.

"Let's go," David said, taking her hand. They walked back to the truck in silence. As he drove, the vet tech broke the quiet.

"I'm really so sorry. I had no idea she'd go crazy like this."

"David, really. I don't want to talk about it," the emerald eyed woman whispered. "I just want it to go away."

"Okay," he said, stealing a glance over at her, he saw the tears still flowing from her eyes and he sighed. Once they reached their apartment building he walked her upstairs and they stopped in front of her door. "I'll be back shortly. If you need anything please don't be afraid to call. It is partially my fault," he said, reaching for her hand.

"I'll be fine," she whispered. He looked into her eyes and wiped a few tears that had fallen on the way up the steps.

"I know you will, but you're not fine now," he murmured back. "And that's not okay with me."

"You need to get back to your daughter, David. Don't worry about little old me," the teacher said, turning to the door.

"You're not just little old you, Mary Margaret, and you haven't been for a while. You're important to me," he stated, grabbing her hand.

She just looked at him like she was helpless. She wanted nothing else, but to hug him. That wouldn't go well with the accusations, but she considered him a friend. A really, really close friend. He was thinking the same thing, but in a split second, the vet tech decided that nothing else mattered, and he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. The minute she felt his arms around her, the teacher melted into him and let out a tiny sob.

"Do you want me to walk you in?" he asked, gently. He felt her head move in a positive shake, so he kept one arm around her while he unlocked the door. He lead her into the apartment, and helped take her coat off. She walked over to the couch and sat down as he hung her coat up. The teacher held her head in her hands and quietly continued to cry.

The blue eyed man slowly walked over to her, and sat down wrapping an arm around her. She leaned into him and grabbed onto his shirt collar while resting her head in the crook of his neck. He moved her closer after a moment and placed a kiss on her head. They sat like this for a few moments, until the raven-haired woman sat up, wiping away a few tears.

"You should go get Emma," she said in a raw voice. "I think I'm going to sleep a bit."

"Okay, once you wake up please feel free to come over. I know Emma will be concerned, but don't feel like you have to come over either. Just incase you don't want to be alone," he murmured, cupping her still red cheek with his hand. She closed her eyes and nodded.

"Thank you."

"Anytime."

* * *

David walked back down to the school and drove Mary Margaret's car to the diner after he finished cleaning it off. He headed in after he found a parking spot. Once he walked into the little building, all eyes turned on him. The vet tech nodded at a few of the people, and saw Ruby with Emma behind the counter.

"Hey," the waitress said when she saw him. "How is she?"

"She's sleeping right now. I'll watch over her tonight," he added.

"I was planning spending the night at her place," Ruby stated.

"Either way, I just want to make sure she's okay. I'll try and get her for dinner, but I'm making breakfast tomorrow with no choice in the matter," he said.

"Daddy, maybe Eva will make her feel better," the blond child said.

"Maybe, Em. We'll have to see. Let's get you home and start dinner."

"Okay, bye bye, Red!" Emma said, hugging the brunette then walked over to her father.

The pair headed back to their apartment, greeted by Eva when they walked through the door. David started to make dinner while Emma got food for the puppy. Once the food was finished, David started for the door.

"Let's go see if Miss Blanchard wants to come over for dinner, Ruby will be over a while later."

Emma nodded and hurried over to her father, then the pair headed over to the door over from their's and Emma knocked. They heard shuffling behind the door, signaling the teacher was awake. She opened the door and obviously just woke up from her nap.

"Hello," she whispered to both of them through half opened eyes. Emma walked over and hugged her neighbor.

"Daddy and I were wondering if you wanted to eat dinner," she said, looking up.

"I'm not really hungry, Em," the emerald eyed woman replied. "Ruby is coming over later, too. I'm alright. Thank you though."

"Oh, okay," Emma responded, slowly letting go.

David looked at her, practically begging for her to come over, but she shook her head, and gave him a sad smile. "I'll see you two maybe tomorrow. Thank you again," she whispered as she closed the door. The father-daughter pair walked back into their apartment. Emma sat down as David put the third plate back in the cabinet.

* * *

About an hour later, Mary Margaret heard another knock on the door, and opened it. It was Ruby, and she sighed out of relief.

"I'm so happy you're here," she whispered, wiping her still tear-stained cheeks.

The waitress walked into the cozy apartment, placing a few bags onto the counter and removing the contents: a load of much needed junk food. The raven-haired woman smiled slightly as soon as she saw all of it spread out, and reached for the ice cream. Ruby grabbed two spoons and they sat down on the couch one on each end of the couch, criss crossing their legs and facing each other and leaning their backs against the arm rests, the ice cream resting between them.

"So, you wanna talk?" the brunette asked as the teacher pulled out a spoonful of the ice cream.

"Yeah," she said sighing. "I mean, I don't know what there is to talk about. If I really think about it there's nothing to cry about because I didn't actually do anything, but just the accusation really _hurt._ Nothing has ever happened like that to me, and it's just hard to wrap my head around it. I also think it's partially due to anger, not mentioning the fact that she confronted me at _work_," she finished taking another spoonful

Ruby nodded as she spoke. "And I mean she's the wife of David. Obviously you're going to be upset, seeing as you _do _have feelings for him."

"Ruby!" the teacher exclaimed, turning a shade of red. "Please, not now."

The brunette rolled her eyes and took another bite of the treat. "Fine, but you know that it's true."

"Of course I do, but it doesn't go well with the accusations," she murmured.

"Honey, I don't think that anyone would actually believe it, and if they did, I'd be happy to talk to them," she replied.

The teacher grinned and laughed slightly. "This really is like old times. Thanks for being willing enough to stick up with me."

"Hey, it's what friends do for one another," the waitress replied. "Now, I'm kinda feeling like a really sappy movie then falling asleep."

"I gotcha," the raven-haired woman replied. They set up their own little nest made out of blankets in the middle of the floor after moving the coffee table out of the way in front of the TV. Then they finished practically all the junk food while watching some chick-flick they found on demand. The next morning they were woken by the sound of knocking on the front door.

"S'open," the teacher said, sitting up. "Ruby, get up," she whispered, nudging the brunette with her leg while she sat up rubbing her eyes.

"No," the waitress whined, burring her face in the pillow.

"Someone's at the door! Get up!" the emerald eyed woman said again as another knock sounded on the door. "I said it was open!" she exclaimed while she opened the door herself. "You."

"Me," David said, smiling. "I just wanted to check on you. I see you and Ruby had a good night."

"Go away, David. You're not wanted right now," the brunette said groaning slightly. "Why the hell are you over this early?"

"It's 11:30?" he replied questionably. "Not that early."

"Whatever," she said, throwing Mary Margaret's pillow at him. "Leave us. Please."

"Oh come on, I made breakfast next door. Emma helped me," he added after catching the pillow. "You two don't want to cook, seeing as it is _so_ incredibly early," he said while giving Ruby a pointed look.

"Pancakes do sound good," the teacher said. "And I'm feeling delightfully lazy this morning."

"Em's been dying to see you," he said, walking over to his place. The two women followed him.

"I don't smell anything burnt. That's a good sign," Ruby said as they walked into the apartment.

"I'm not that bad of a cook!"

"Yes he is!" Emma exclaimed, running into the room with Eva. "Miss Blanchard!" she said, running into the woman's arms. "Are you okay? Is your cheek okay?" the child asked, reaching up to touch her cheek.

"I'm feeling a lot better. Thank you," the teacher responded, picking up the girl. "Red is a great cheerer upper."

"Well I do try," Ruby said, tossing some hair over her shoulder. "You didn't tell me you got a puppy!" she exclaimed, kneeling down to pet the adorable little dog.

"I was blackmailed into getting one," David replied, giving a look to Mary Margaret. "People don't play fair."

"Doesn't that make it more fun?" she asked, smiling at Emma who was giggling. David shook his head and started passing out plates.

"Pancakes and bacon are on the table, as well as some fruit. Do you want anything to drink?" he asked the three girls.

"Milk!" Emma exclaimed, running over to the table after she was put down.

"I'll have orange juice," Mary Margaret answered.

"I'll have orange juice too," Ruby said. "I think this is the first breakfast I haven't had at Granny's."

"Now that isn't shocking," the teacher said, laughing. Ruby rolled her eyes at her as they sat down at the table. David brought over the drinks. Eva settled right in between Mary Margaret and David. They all passed around the food until everyone's plate was filled and started eating. It was all quiet until Emma spilt the syrup across the table.

"Oh sh-" David exclaimed, everyone quickly stood up. Mary Margaret went over to grab a wet towel while David grabbed Emma who was covered in the syrup.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Emma muttered. "I'm all sticky!"

"I think that's kind of a given since it's syrup," the teacher replied smiling.

"You two go clean off Emma, I'll get the table," Ruby said. "Trust me, you're gonna need the both of you to get that syrup off of her."

They nodded and David carried Emma, at arms length, into the bathroom. Mary Margaret pealed off the child's pajamas while David ran the water in the tub. They cleaned her off as quickly as possible.

"Well, I think that's a mission accomplished," the teacher said as she wrapped Emma in a fluffy towel. "Feel better?" she asked the child.

The blonde nodded and muttered, "Sorry for spilling."

"It's just syrup, Em," David said. "It'll be fine, maybe a little sticky, but fine."

The ebony-haired woman picked up the child and kissed her cheek. "Let's go get you changed."

She carried Emma upstairs and they got her changed into clothes for the day. Then they all finished breakfast in peace.

"Thanks for having us over," Mary Margaret said as they were about to leave. "It cheered me up a bit, and it was really sweet."

"Of course. If you need to talk about anything, I'm right here. I'm going to try and work the rest of everything out today," the vet tech said. "I still can't believe she did it."

The teacher nodded and gave him one last smile before she and Ruby walked back over to their apartment.

"We're such an odd dysfunctional little family," the brunette said.

"That we are," the raven-haired woman replied. "That we are."

* * *

**Val: **Haha! Yes she did get a dachshund! They're one of my favorite breeds, so I thought why not? :) Awh! She sounds adorable!  
**Heth:** Well, Kathryn did cause a few problems didn't she? Fear not! It will hopefully end up working out! :P  
**Raquel: **Thanks so much for your continued support! I always look forward to your comments!  
**Guest: **Thank you!


	13. Freedom and Mommas

**Well, I thought I'd post this since it's the winter finale tonight, and people are going to need some way to cope! This chapter is dedicated to ****xangels creationx**** because she stayed up till 2 am to finish every chapter, and left me the sweetest review! Sorry for typos etc., and responses to Guest reviews will be at the end as always! Good luck surviving the episode! ~mommasnow**

* * *

**"**Kathryn, open the door!" David exclaimed, knocking on the door the next day.

"Oh, hon, she's not here," Granny said, walking up the steps.

"Where did she go?!" he asked frustrated.

"I think she might be with Mayor Mills," Granny replied. "I saw her with Kathryn this morning."

"Great," he muttered, leaning against the wall and rubbing his temples.

"Hey, you'll get all this straightened out. I know you will. Don't fret. It will be over soon enough," she said, patting his shoulder. "Now go on."

"Thanks, Granny," he said as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Thanks for reminding me."

"Anytime," she replied, slightly surprised from the kiss as he walked down the hall.

* * *

David soon found himself in front of the mayor's house. He banged on the door determined, and came face to face with the mayor.

"Mr. Nolan, how can I help you?" she asked, smiling.

"First off, how dare you. You're stepping into a situation that you have no business being in," he said, having to remind himself to not shout.

"It actually is my business, I have a friend involved in it!" she said frowning. "I have to protect her."

"No you don't. Kathryn isn't your friend. You two hardly know each other! Why are you even involving yourself in this?! You're the major!" the vet tech asked.

"I don't believe that is any of your business, Mr. Nolan. It is private between Kathryn and I," the mayor replied.

"Speaking of Kathryn, where is she? I need to give her a piece of my mind as well," the blonde eyed man said, attempting to calm down a bit.

"David?" the aforementioned woman asked, walking up to the door.

"Why on earth did you come to Mary Margaret's work yesterday and accuse her of breaking us up?!" he exclaimed. "I know she would never do that. _I _would never do that to you!"

"Regina told me that you two _were_ together, among other things," she said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Well she told you wrong because that never happened!"

"Either way you hurt her immensely," Regina started, speaking up again. "That's true!"

"Yes, either way you were going to be hurt knowing that your husband has found a new life after leaving you!" the vet tech said. "I mean I'd be a little upset. No, _really _upset, but I'd also be a little happy for you because I want you to be happy Kathryn. That's why I'm telling you we need to get a divorce. So all of this can be behind us. I'd happily be just your friend again," he finished.

The blond woman looked at the mayor, who just rolled her eyes, and then she looked down to the ground. "I think," she started, "I think I'm ready to sign those papers." David broke out into a big smile.

"Seriously?" he asked.

"Yeah, I've done some stupid things, and I should make things right," Kathryn added, finally looking up at him..

"But Kathryn," Regina began.

"It's over Regina," Kathryn said, putting up her hand. "I shouldn't have let you talk me into this in the first place. I was just angry. Revenge isn't the right thing."

"Revenge?" David questioned, looking from the mayor to the blonde woman.

Both woman looked at each other and then back at the blue eyed man.

"Let's just go finish the business," Kathryn said quickly, leading David off of the porch. About an hour later, they arrived at Mr. Gold's shop. He was the one who had been helping David with the divorce papers. Everything was signed and sealed with the promise of Mr. Gold sending it off in that night for finalization and approval, and two letters would be sent out as soon as the papers were approved. David and Kathryn walked out together as the sun set.

"Thanks for doing this, Kathryn. Really," David said. "I know it hurts."

"I'll be fine," she responded quietly. "You deserve your happy ending just as much as I do, even if it's not with me. Good luck with them."

"Good luck with finding your happy ending," he replied. She nodded and gave him one last smile before heading into the bed and breakfast to collect her things and head back to Boston that night. David walked back to the apartment as happy as can be. He headed up the steps with a hop in his step, and opened the door with a smile plastered on his face.

"Someone's happy," he heard a female voice say.

"I am _very _happy," he replied coming face to face with the voice's owner, Mary Margaret.

"Where were you all day?" she asked. "Emma's been missing you."

"I was just finishing some previously unfinished business," he answered vaguely.

"That makes total sense!" the teacher replied sarcastically. "I take it you'll explain in your own good time?"

"You're very smart, Miss Blanchard," he said with a smirk on his lips.

"Well thank you, Mr. Nolan," she said, inching closer to him.

"Daddy!" Emma exclaimed, making the two adults step away from each other as she ran to jump into his arms. "I missed you today."

"Hey, kid," he said, putting a kiss on the top of her head. "I missed you too. How was your afternoon with Miss Blanchard?"

"It was fun! We decorated a little more! And we're almost finished with the story," the child exclaimed and put her head on his shoulder.

"Oh yeah? You'll have to find another story soon then, huh," he questioned.

"No Daddy! We're gonna read it again!" the blonde child replied. "Miss Blanchard said we would."

David turned back to the woman, and smiled slightly. "That's very nice of you," he responded. "I think that we all deserve a little treat at Granny's. Why don't you go get Eva, and we can walk down to the diner?"

"Okay!" Emma replied, getting out of his arms. "Time to go on a walk, Eva!"

The little puppy barked and ran off with the four year over to the front table to get her leash. Mary Margaret walked over to pick up her books. "Hey, I mean you too," David said, placing his hand on her books, to push them back onto the table. "You need to get out of the house a bit."

The woman rolled her eyes, and gave him a small grin. "Very well," she murmured. They both grabbed their coats to protect themselves from the biting cold outside. Once Emma had her coat on as well, the little group walked out of the apartment, and headed down Main Street. The two adults stayed back while the child and dog ran a ways ahead of them.

"So, I was going to wait to tell you later, but I really can't wait any longer," he said, turning his head to her while they walked.

"What happened?" the teacher inquired, slightly concerned.

"I got everything with Kathryn cleaned up," he answered, breaking into a huge smile. "We finished the papers this morning. That's the previously unfinished business," he explained.

Mary Margaret smiled at the news, and how joyful he looked. "Congratulations, you're on your pathway to freedom," she responded gently teasing.

"Thanks, and since I'm almost free, I'd like to ask you on a proper date once I'm free," the vet tech asked her a little nervously. "I know it's a little soon after what happened, but I think it would be a little fun," he added, slightly rambling.

"I'd love that David. Really I would, maybe instead going out we could eat dinner in, watch a movie," the teacher murmured.

The vet tech nodded and smiled. "That would be really fun. I'd like that probably more than going out truthfully," he added, laughing.

"Then it's a date," the ebony-haired woman responded, with a sparkle in her eye. He gave her a knowing smile back and took her hand, as they walked into the diner. Emma had put Eva in the back room while they ate.

"Daddy!" Emma exclaimed already up sitting at their normal booth. "Can Red watch me while you two have your date?"

The two adults looked at each other surprised, and laughed together as they sat down, Mary Margaret with Emma and David sitting across from them. "How did you know we were planning one?" the teacher questioned.

"I wasn't _that_ far ahead!" the little blonde responded. "And Daddy talked kinda loud."

"Hey! I didn't mean to!" David exclaimed.

"Well you did. So, _can_ Red babysit me?" the child asked again, looking from one adult to the other.

"When the time comes, I guess so," David said, looking to Mary Margaret.

"Why are you looking at me?" the teacher asked, taking off her coat. "I'm not in charge."

"Seems like you usually are," the vet tech replied teasing her as he looked at his menu. "Doesn't it?" he asked, winking at Emma.

"It does! She makes a good momma!" Emma replied, giggling. Mary Margaret looked at her surprised, but broke into a wide grin at the title.

"I'm not a momma," she replied, tapping the child's nose.

"Yes, you are," the hazel eyed girl replied. "You're mine. You help me and spend time with me and love me!"

Mary Margaret stared at the child and felt her eyes filling with tears. She didn't expect being claimed as a mother this soon, not until possibly after moving her relationship with David. It was overwhelming, amazing, and terrifying. She wrapped her arms around Emma while the child climbed into her lap.

"I'm honored that you to see me as a mother," the teacher whispered into the child's hair. Emma smiled and wrapped her arms around the woman's neck while she cuddled closer into her. She eventually rested her head on the teacher's chest and played with some of her hair while Ruby took their orders.

"Anything else I can get you?" the brunette asked the trio.

"Oh yeah, would you be able to watch Emma sometime in a couple of weeks?" David asked, glancing over at Mary Margaret happily.

The waitress raised an eyebrow and looked between the teacher and vet tech. "Is there something going on here?" she questioned, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm almost free," David answered with a grin. "The papers were finished this afternoon!"

Ruby broke into a great big smile as she leaned over to hug the blue eyed man. "Oh my god that is so great! Now, you two can-" she cut herself off, and then looked between both of the adults, and gave them both knowing looks. "Well, just.. Congratulations," she said. "I'd love to babysit."

Emma clapped her little hands and giggled. "We have to spy on their date again!" the child exclaimed. Ruby's eyes went wide and both adults looked between the waitress and child.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh nothing!" Ruby said, heading to another table. "I gotta take care of another table! See ya guys later!"

"Yeah! Me too!" the four year old said, attempting to climb out of the teacher's lap. The two arms already wrapped around her prevented her from doing so.

"You two spied on our not date?" David asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, no?" Emma replied with a hopeful smile.

"Good try, kid."

* * *

**Anna: **I hope you enjoyed this one!  
**Sneaky: T**hey will definitely be focused on more these upcoming chapters! xx  
**Dena:** Thank you! And I don't really have a solid reason for Regina's angle other than the fact that it's due to some sort of revenge (as stated just now). Maybe one chapter in the future I'll come back to the idea, but since I wanted the story to be more Charming family centered it will have to wait! I hope that's okay!  
**Raquel: **I hope this chapter was satisfactory! :P  
**Heth: **Thank you!


	14. Real Dates and Caught Kissing

**Here is the next chapter! It will probably be the last one posted before since I am celebrating Christmas with my family! I hope you all are having a good winter break and that you did well on exams if you're still in school! Thanks so much for your continued support! Sorry for typos etc.! Responses to guest reviews are at the bottom! ~mommasnow**

* * *

About a week later, everyone found that Christmas was quickly approaching, and the entire town was starting to get into the holiday spirit. Lights and decorations were going up all around town in front of the store fronts. Mary Margaret had just finished putting up a few little decorations inside her apartment when David, Emma, and Eva came through the unlocked door.

"Hey," the raven-haired woman said, as she turned to face the little group. The slightly bigger puppy ran over to her and jumped onto her. "I know, I know! I see you!" she exclaimed, bending down to pet the little dog. Then, she felt a much bigger form run into her arms.

"Hi!" the four year old exclaimed.

"Hello there," the teacher replied, kissing the top of the girl's forehead. She hoisted the child onto her hip, and walked over on the couch sit down. "My you're getting bigger and bigger each day! How are you?"

"I'm good. Daddy and I just took Eva on a walk," Emma responded as they settled into the couch with her on the teacher's lap. "It was fun! Pongo and Eva are friends now!"

"You ran into Archie?" Mary Margaret asked, smiling at David as he sat down next to them.

"We did," he answered. "And we also have another surprise," the vet tech added, holding out a yellow folder.

"What is it?" the teacher asked, concern filling her voice. She quickly opened up the envelop then as she read what was on the pages inside the envelop, a huge smile came across her face. "Congratulations, David," she said, reaching over to hug him as best she could with the child in her lap.

"Thanks," he responded, completely overjoyed. The romance between the two adults had been blossoming as of late. Even with the divorce not fully finalized, that didn't stop them from spending a majority of their time together. They normally both blamed it on Emma externally, but internally, both of them knew it was because they were both so inexplicably drawn to one another. Now, nothing was in their way, and they had the power to do what they wanted with their relationship.

"Now, I believe that we have a real date to go on soon," David whispered into her ear. Mary Margaret closed her eyes for a moment, unconsciously biting her lip and nodded.

"I believe that is true," she murmured back. "How about tomorrow? Right here, I could make something and we could watch a movie, and just relax."

"Sounds like my type of date," the vet tech replied with a smile on his face. "At 6?"

"Perfect," the teacher replied.

"Great, now we gotta go finish some things next door. I'll see you tomorrow night," the vet tech said, and he pulled the child from the woman's lap. "Let's go, Em. Eva!" David called, and the little pup came running. He gave one last charming smile to Mary Margaret before they headed into the apartment over.

When they were gone Mary Margaret couldn't help but squeal and curl up into a ball, she was so excited. Everything was going to go great. She just knew it.

* * *

"Bye Daddy! Bye Miss Blanchard! Have a good time!" Emma exclaimed as Ruby took her from the apartment the next night. They had been waiting in the teacher's apartment until Ruby showed up. As soon as the door was shut, both adults looked at each other and then stood up and went straight to work.

Mary Margaret started setting up the little nest of blankets similar to what she and Ruby had made before. David started dishing out the spaghetti and sauce onto two plates. The teacher went over to help him and then moved two glasses and a bottle of wine into their little enclosure. They both sat down across from each other while soft music played and they ate their dinner.

"I definitely like this over a night out at Granny's" David said. "Not to mention we won't have any prying eyes here."

"Oh I'm sure they'll find a way," the ebony haired woman replied. "When Ruby wants to know something she finds a way to figure it out."

The vet tech chuckled and nodded his head. "As does Emma, so both of them together definitely means we will not be alone tonight."

"I suppose so," she responded with a coy smile. "Not that anything would happen, would it?"

David shrugged and smirked at her raised eyebrow. He took a bite of his spaghetti. "Why do I have to plan something? For all I know this could be a plan to seduce me! All this low lighting, spaghetti, wine and soft music. You know how to lure a man in, Miss Blanchard," he said with a wink.

"I'm certainly not in a seducing mood," the teacher replied. "I certainly don't _look_ like I'm trying to seduce someone," she added, nodding down at her outfit which consisted of another oversized sweater, leggings and slippers. Her hair was up back in a messy French braid and she had almost no makeup on save for some eyeliner and mascara.

"Oh please, you look beautiful," he replied slightly rolling his eyes. "You look beautiful in anything you wear."

"Aren't you a real Prince Charming?" she asked, with a twinge of sarcasm in her voice.

"Only if you're Snow White," he responded, quick to banter again. He moved over slightly to grab the wine bottle. The raven haired woman shook her head and held up her glass.

"Maybe you're already drunk," she replied, slightly laughing.

"I've only had one!" David exclaimed indignantly. "You're impossible."

She shrugged and took a small sip of it. "It's a talent I suppose."

"Or you're just stubborn," he muttered, putting the bottle down and watched her for a moment. She reached over and wrapped some of the spaghetti from his plate onto her fork and ate it.

"Hey! Get your own spaghetti!" the vet tech exclaimed, moving his plate out of her reach.

"But it's all the way over there!" the teacher whined, nodding at the counter. "And I know I won't eat another plateful, nor will you. What is this? Your fourth helping?" she asked teasingly.

"You make good spaghetti," he replied in defense. "Fine, you can have some more."

The emerald eyed woman smiled triumphantly and they both wrapped spaghetti around their forks and ate it. About half way through eating the bite, they realized one strand of spaghetti was between both of them. They looked at each other, Mary Margaret blushing and David trying to surprise a laugh.

"So, we really are heading in the Disney direction tonight, huh?" he asked after breaking the spaghetti noodle in half. "First Prince Charming and Snow White, now Lady and the Tramp."

"I think it kind of fits, although you'd have to be Lady," she replied slightly laughing. "I've already been labeled as the tramp." David's face feel quickly at her statement and forced a chuckle and nodded. "David, what's wrong?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Nothing."

"Oh, please," the teacher responded. "Is it because of what I just said? Come on, it's really fine. It's all blown over now that she's gone and you have the divorce settled. Don't tell me I can't joke about it."

"No, it's just-" he started, still looking down. "It still makes me really mad that that happened to you. All because I had waited too long to take action on my own, causing her to make stupid choices, and hurting someone I really care about."

Mary Margaret watching him for a moment with an intent look on her face while he talked. She blushed slightly at his ending statement and shrugged. "It did hurt, but I have started to move on from it. Don't worry yourself about it." The raven haired woman took his hand gently and moved slightly closer to him, so now their knees were touching.

"I don't think I could stop worrying about you if I tried," the blue eyed man answered, looking over at her. "You're always on my mind," he added gently. Inhaling deeply, Mary Margaret stared at him for a while. He understood that she had the same problem. "It's almost as if something just keeps pulling me back to you. I can't explain it."

She nodded slightly and without realizing it, moved in closer to him. She felt his warm breath on her cheek, and she felt his lips gently graze over her jawline. The teacher took another deep breath and felt her heart pounding in her chest.

"David," she murmured, moving her head slightly to look into his eyes. He wove his left hand into her hair, and his right hand cupped her cheek. The teacher looked into his piercing blue orbs and was amazed with the intense look they held. She saw conflicting thoughts, lust, and undeniable love.

"I-" he started, but was cut off by her lips pressed against his. He kissed back with equal passion, and pulled her close. He moved his hands down her back and stopped around her waist and move her closer to him again. She was practically in his lap. When air was necessary again they moved back slightly, but still pressed their foreheads against each other.

The ebony haired woman smiled slightly, and raised her hand to touch his cheek. The blonde man kissed the hand gently. The tension between them had escalated to overwhelming heights.

"I don't know what I'm doing," she whispered, slightly laughing.

"Neither am I, but I think I like it," the vet tech responded with a smirk. He stroked her hair and his smirk slowly turning into a gentle smile. "I bet Emma and Ruby are somewhere laughing."

"Oh god," she said, laughing at her and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Why mention them now?" she murmured kissing him softly again. "At least they were subtle this time."

"They were here?!" he asked, moving his head away to look around.

"I saw them peaking through the window with the fire escape," the emerald eyed woman answered. "They watched for a good twenty minutes while we ate."

"Good, God," David muttered, as he leaned in to kiss her one more time.

* * *

The next morning at around 8:00 a.m., Mary Margaret woke with two arms around her. Her first intention was to panic, but then she recognized the touch and realized it was only David. She figured they must've feel asleep while watching the movie they picked out last night. When she finally opened her eyes, the emerald eyed woman found two blue eyes resting on her. The holder of the blue orbs smiled and leaned down to kiss her head, which was rested on his chest. They were still dressed in their clothes from last night.

"Hello there," he whispered, his voice low from just waking up himself. She smiled and yawned slightly.

"Good morning," she responded gently. "I guess we fell asleep, and Ruby didn't bother to wake us."

"Probably," the vet tech said, slightly stretching. "She probably figured we'd end up falling asleep. I bet she's still over there with Em."

The teacher nodded and sat up, stretching as well. "That was the best sleep I've had in a while," she admitted a little sheepishly and smiled shyly.

"Me too," he said, sitting up himself and placed a hand on her back and kissed her cheek gently. "It was another great night I've spent with you."

"Alright, Prince Charming," she started while slightly laughing. "Let's go make sure your daughter isn't alone in your apartment."

The blue eyed man chuckled at her and nodded. They both stood up, and he quickly grabbed her hand. The teacher looked at him and gave him another shy smile as they walked out of her apartment and into the one over to check on the child, who of course was fine with their friend watching over her. Ruby ended up spending the night on the couch.

"Thank God both of you are awake before she is, I thought I'd have to explain the possibilities of why you weren't here," the waitress said, getting up from the sofa.

"That's true," David replied. "Thanks a lot, Ruby. Here," he added, pulling some money from his wallet.

"Oh no," the brunette said, waving it away. "Trust me, it's my pleasure. I love watching her. I'll see you two later!" she stated, walking to the door and leaving.

"Well, isn't that sweet?" Mary Margaret asked. "You might want to go shower and change before Emma wakes up too. I'll listen for her incase she gets up."

"Thank you," the vet tech said. "I'll make it quick."

She watched him hurry into his room and sat down on the couch. The teacher thought about what had happened, and she wasn't able to believe it. All of these emotions and thoughts towards this man were nothing like she had experienced before. The only other man that could possibly come close was Dr. Whale, but he had clearly shot that down several months ago on one of their dates. Besides, Mary Margaret somehow knew that all David wanted was to love her and protect her. Maybe it was that unexplainable connection and understanding she had with him. Either way, she had placed a lot of her trust in him.

"Hey," he said, walking into the living room again, interrupting her thoughts. He was pulling a t-shirt over his head. She caught a glimpse at his toned abs before he pulled the shirt all the way over his head, and unconsciously bit her lip. The teacher smiled at him and stood up.

"All finished?" the emerald eyed woman asked.

"Yeah, Em will be up any moment. I'd like to thank you for last night again. Really, I had a great time," he said, taking her hand once more.

"I did too," she responded sincerely. They both looked into each other's eyes before she added, "I better go before she wakes up. See you later."

Before she could move away, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss. The teacher was caught off guard, but kissed back evenly.

"Daddy?! Miss Blanchard?!" they both heard a little voice say.

"Oh crap," David muttered after they quickly pulled away.

* * *

**the lady: **Thank you so much for your review! :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**heth: **Thanks so much!


	15. Christmas Kisses

**Late Christmas chapter! It's not my favorite, but I really wanted to get this one up. I'll probably reedit it some day when I feel inspired. There's only going to be a few more chapters before this story is closed! Thanks for all the continued support again! Sorry for typos etc. ~mommasnow**

* * *

**"**Why did you kiss?" Emma asked after Mary Margaret had wished them both a good day, bolted from his arms and out of the apartment. He was going to get her back for that.

"Well, uhm," he started, rubbing the back of his neck. "We like each other, and sometimes people do that when they like each other."

"Like mommies and daddies," Emma asked.

"Yes, but also for people who are dating. Usually they're not mommies and daddies yet. Sometimes they are, or maybe one of them is," David said.

"But Miss Blanchard is like a mommy to me," Emma said. "So it is like that!"

"Yes, but we aren't married, Em. That's the difference," the vet tech said.

"You should get married then!" the child said like it was the obvious solution. "So then we could get a big house with a backyard and we could be all together and I could call her Mommy and we would be a real family."

David smiled at the amazing picture his child was painting in her mind. He wanted it too, he wanted it so bad that he thought about it practically everyday. There was a terrible yearning for her to be his, and both of them raising Emma, maybe even another of their own children. He thought about maybe one day going out to the safety deposit box that held his mother's old ring and proposing.

"You never know, maybe it will happen one day," he replied, wrapping her in a hug. "We just have to hope."

"Hope what?"

"Hope that I get the courage to ask her one day."

* * *

The next day, Mary Margaret was awoken by a knock at the door. She put on her robe with a big smile on her face, already knowing who it was. The teacher grabbed all of her presents from under the tree that she had put up herself yesterday after she went home. When the emerald eyed woman opened the door, there stood David in a Santa hat.

"Merry Christmas," he said, helping her with a few of the presents.

"Merry Christmas, David," she responded, standing up on her tip toes to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. The vet tech smiled slightly.

"Emma's still asleep, but she'll be up anytime now," he stated as they walked back over to his apartment. "I'm happy you decided to return from the mess yesterday," he added teasingly.

"How did Emma take it?" the teacher asked, as she headed over to the tree.

"Actually quite well. I don't see why she wouldn't. She adores you for God's sake," he replied. "I can't imagine how she can't," he added as they both stood up and he faced her. The ebony haired woman flushed a light pink and tried not to smile.

"Oh please."

"It's true," he responded and took her hand. "You're quite easy to adore if I do say so myself," he whispered, placing his hands on her waist.

"David, Emma will be up any moment."

"But look what we're standing under," the vet tech stated as he pointed up to the ceiling. Mary Margaret slightly rolled her eyes knowing what they were standing under. Unfortunately, she was right. Of course they were standing under the conveniently placed mistletoe.

"Merry Christmas," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. The teacher gently kissed back and then quickly pulled away as se heard the pitter patter of little feet on the floor.

"Daddy is Miss-" Emma started as she ran into the room, with her little puppy, but stopped when she saw the woman and squealed. The four year old ran into the emerald eyed woman's arms and Eva ran around both of them barking. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Em," Mary Margaret replied, placing a kiss on the girl's cheek. "I take it you slept well?"

"I did! I did! I did!" the child shouted.

"Indoor voice, Emma," David said. "And where's my Christmas hug, huh?" he asked, kneeling down and opening his arms for her.

Emma giggled, and ran into her father's arms, and gave him a big bear hug. "I love you, Daddy! Did Santa come?!"

"You know what? I think he did! Look under the tree!" the blond man replied, pointing over to the decorated evergreen.

"He did!" the child exclaimed after inspecting a few gifts. "I see a really big one, Daddy! When can we open presents?!"

"After breakfast and Ruby and Granny come over," Mary Margaret replied. "Remember?"

"Oh yeah!" the little blonde said, giggling slightly. "I'm so excited!"

The two adults shared a smile and then both set to work on starting working on said breakfast. David and Emma made pancake batter while Mary Margaret started on the bacon. Granny and Ruby were bringing cinnamon rolls and a big pot of hot chocolate. Everything was just being finished when the waitress and older woman came in. Emma ran over to the both of them, accompanied by Eva, and gave them both big Christmas hugs.

"Merry Christmas!" the brunette exclaimed. "I don't think I've ever been so excited about Christmas morning before!"

"Is it just because you don't have to spend it with me this year?" Granny asked.

"It's always nice to switch things up, Granny," Ruby replied, as she went to give Mary Margaret a hug. Then the grandmother-granddaughter pair went over to the island in the kitchen to put their food down. Ruby moved their gifts under the tree.

"My it does smell good in here," the grandmother stated as she sat down on the couch next to Emma.

"Oh my god! Call the police, I think Granny just complimented the scent of someone else's cooking!" Mary Margaret exclaimed with a smile on her face. Granny rolled her eyes.

"The holidays change me," she replied, with a straight face but mirth shinning in her eyes. Soon, everyone was sitting around the dining room table and passing around food and sharing old Christmas traditions. Once they had finished breakfast, everyone moved in the living room around the tree.

"Presents!" Emma shouted as she scampered over to the sofa. "Who's gonna open the first one?!"

"Why don't you, Em?" Mary Margaret asked, sitting down next to the child. Granny and Ruby sat down on the two other chairs that occupied the living room while David sat on the other side of Emma on the couch. The child popped up and ran over to the tree to pick out a small box. Soon everyone had opened all of their presents and were extremely pleased. Then David stood up after he had put on the gorgeous emerald necklace he had gotten Mary Margaret to pull out huge wrapped box that covered up about half of the living room floor when it was set down on the ground.

"I think we missed one," he stated with a gleam in his eye. "This one's for you, Em." The child gasped and ran over to the giant present. Eva ran around the box trying to find a good place to sniff and inspect herself.

"Is it," she started. Her father shrugged with a smile on his face.

"You'll have to find out!"

The little blonde giggled and climbed on top of the package to tear away the paper. After about the second or third tear a shriek escaped the child's mouth.

"What is it?" Ruby asked, as the three women moved over to take a look at the box.

"It's what I wanted!" Emma shouted. "A big girl bed with a canopy! Just like in the magazine Miss Blanchard showed me! Thank you, Daddy!" she added running over to the man and giving him a giant hug. David chuckled and picked up the little blonde.

"Of course, princess," he replied as he placed a kiss on the child's head. "Anything for my girl."

The child giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Mary Margaret smiled and started cleaning up the rest of the papers. Emma kept babbling about her big girl bed and how she and David were going to build it after everyone left. The teacher was the last one to leave after wishing the vet tech and child good bye.

"Good bye, Emma. I hope you had a good Christmas," the woman said as she hugged the child.

"Bye, bye, Miss Blanchard," she responded. "You too!"

Mary Margaret nodded and then turned to David. "Well, I hope you had a good Christmas too, David," the raven-haired woman attempted to state casually. She knew they had to be careful around Emma.

"The best Christmas I've had in a while. Thank you for joining us," he said, putting his arms around her and throwing any formality that was left between the couple out the window.

"Aren't you gonna kiss her?" the little blonde asked her father. "You have to kiss her under the mistletoe! Red taught me that!"

"Of course she did," the teacher muttered, glancing above their heads to find a small sprig of mistletoe. Both of them exchanged a small look and then David moved one of his hands up from on her waist to cup her cheek. The emerald eyed woman scanned his blue orbs. David grasped the side of the teacher's waist with his hand still resting there and nodded. She smiled slightly at him then both gently leaned in and shared a chaste kiss.

"Okay! That's good enough!" the child said breaking the two adults apart.

David chuckled and stole one more kiss from the teacher. Mary Margaret gasped and pushed him away.

"All right, well I should head out. Have fun putting your big girl bed together, Emma," the ebony haired woman shook her head and then walked out of the apartment.

"Daddy."

"Yeah, Em?"

"I think I want something different."

"What?"

"I want Miss Blanchard to be my mommy."

"I think I'll be able to do that now."

* * *

**Raquel: **:) I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**val: **haha! I thought I should throw that in there! I'm happy you enjoyed it.

**Dena: **Yay! Happy you enjoyed it!


	16. Being Sick and Promises

**Just a chapter I wanted to get up because I haven't updated in ever! I'm sorry for that, but I've kind of lost the direction I want to take this in. I will try and update more often so don't fret. I'm definitely seeing an end to this story around the 20th chapter! I already have an idea for another fic that I might go through with some day! :) I hope you enjoy this chapter and sorry for any typos etc. Responses to guest reviews will be at the bottom as always! ~mommasnow BTW GOSH IS BACK ON TWITTER AND I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER AND THE RING IS BEAUTIFUL OMG. ANYWAY ONTO THE STORY.**

* * *

A couple weeks later school had started again. The days certainly had gotten colder; snow fell constantly, but classes still continued on. Every morning Mary Margaret and Emma drove to school until it was impossible to get the car out of the street. The roads hadn't been plowed yet due to everything being nearly frozen over. Consequently, school had been called off for the rest of the week on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday Emma stayed inside with David, who's work had also gotten called off. Friday night about an hour after David had put Emma down, he found her walking into his room with an arm over her stomach.

"Daddy," Emma started standing in the doorway. "I don't feel-" she cut herself off when she leaned over to throw up all over the floor.

"Oh, Em!" he exclaimed. He rushed out of bed as she started to cry. "Princess, it's okay. Don't cry," he added picking her up trying to avoid the mess. David carried her into the bathroom and placed her in the tub. He was really trying not to panic just for Emma's sake, and this was the first time she had gotten sick while being with him. David put his hand on her forehead to estimate her temperature. Emma was burning up.

"Okay, alright. It will be okay," he muttered more to himself then his child. "I'm going to call Mary Margaret and grab some clean clothes," David added looking at her messy nightgown.

"Daddy I don't want you to-" she started but stopped as she bent down to throw up once more.

He reached over to rub her back. "I know, Em. That's why I have to call Mary Margaret. She'll help a lot okay?" he said as he turned on the water to clean out the tub.

She gave him a little pout but ultimately agreed. Emma definitely thought that Miss Blanchard would help; the teacher normally does. "Okay, but don't be long."

David nodded and hurried out of the room to grab the phone and started dialing Mary Margaret's number while he grabbed some new clothes for Emma and a couple of towels.

"Please pick up!" he muttered to himself. He heard Emma throw up again as he narrowly avoided some of her other hurl laying in the hallway.

"David?" he heard a sleepy female voice finally come over the line. "What's wrong?"

"Oh thank god. Emma got sick and I need your help," he answered. "I have no idea what to do," he whispered as he walked into the bathroom. "I'm kind of freaking out."

"It will be alright. I'll be over in a second," Mary Margaret replied. "It's just a bug."

"Thank you so much," he responded. "See you in a few minutes."

The vet tech took a steadying breathe and put down the phone on the counter and kneeled next to the tub. "Miss Blanchard will be here in a second," he whispered to Emma. "You're going to be okay. Let's get you cleaned up okay?"

Emma nodded and watched him as he washed down all of the puke down the drain and then helped the child take off her dress to clean off the rest of Emma. "Is your bed messy?" he asked as he wrapped the child up in her towel.

"Yeah. I tried to get out fast enough but I couldn't," the child replied. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault you're sick," he responded. Then a knock was at the door. _"Mary Margaret!" _he thought extremely relieved. "Miss Blanchard is here, let me go get the door. Just stand right here incase you feel sick again."

David ran into the living room after getting a nod from Emma. He ran into the living room and answered the door. "Thank you so much for coming."

"I couldn't let you alone when she's sick!" Mary Margaret replied, her hair pulled back into a pony tail and had a robe wrapped around her body. "Where is the patient?"

"In the bathroom," he replied as they both heard Emma hurl again.

"Daddy!" she shouted through her tears again. Mary Margaret ran into the bathroom with David following.

"Oh, honey," Mary Margaret said, getting her first glimpse at Emma. "I'm here. You're going to be just fine."

The teacher flushed the toilet and then wiped Emma's mouth. "David, go clean the apartment up so no one slips," the teacher said taking charge. He nodded and hurried out of the bathroom.

"Daddy already tried to clean you up, huh," Mary Margaret asked helping Emma brush her teeth.

"A lil bit," Emma replied and then slightly whimpered. "I don't feel good again." The child bent over slightly. Mary Margaret picked her up gently.

"You'll feel just fine after a while. We need something to settle your stomach," she said, kissing the child's forehead and wiped a few tears away. "David, can you get us some crackers?"

"Sure," he shouted from upstairs. David hurried downstairs with Emma's sheets in his hands, consequently not seeing the hurl he hadn't cleaned up yet and slipped.

Mary Margaret coughed back a laugh as he fell and placed Emma on the couch. "David! Are you alright?"

He looked up at her a little confused and rubbed his head, which had hit the floor. "Y-yeah. I'm fine."

"Your shin isn't," she replied helping him up. "Got sit down as well, second patient."

David laughed slightly and shook his head. "Thank God we have you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I'm sure you would be in a lot of trouble," the teacher responded. "I'll take care of everything." She picked up the sheets and threw them into the washer. Then walked into the kitchen to get Emma some crackers and helped her get a bit more comfortable.

"If you need to throw up do it in this," Mary Margaret instructed while pointing to a bucket. Emma nodded and curled up under a blanket and slowly snacked on some of the crackers she had been given.

"Now for you," Mary Margaret started and looked at David who lowered himself onto an armchair. "You need to watch where you're going next time. Where's the health kit?"

"Uhm under the sink," he replied. "Will I live Nurse Blanchard? I feel like this is a fatal injury."

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes, but did crack a slight smile. "I'm sure you'll live Patient Nolan," she stated as she pulled out the kit. She walked back over to him and kneeled down in front of him to inspect his shin that was still bleeding. She put a wet towel over it to stop the blood from getting everywhere. Then she put some ointment on it to help the skin heal faster and finished with putting a bandaid over it.

"All fixed," she stated and put the kit back under the sink. Then she cleaned up the rest of the apartment before sitting down next to the child. "How are you feeling, Em?"

"Better," Emma replied moving to curl up in the teacher's lap and just barely stifling a yawn. "Thank you... Momma..." she trailed off as she fell asleep.

Mary Margaret smiled and sucked back the tears that threatened her eyes while stroked the girl's blonde hair and kissed her forehead gently. David hobbled over to the couch and plopped himself next to the emerald eyed woman. "Well, this definitely would've gone a lot worse if you weren't here," he whispered. "Thank you, very much."

"Well, I couldn't leave you to your own devices. That would be just cruel," she replied in a hushed tone.

"You really are a good mommy," David stated. "Even if it's not official. You've been her mom longer than you've known."

"I'm happy for that," she whispered keeping her eyes on Emma. "Have you actually taken the steps to adopt her? I mean you're still just her foster father right now, aren't you?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. I've completely forgotten about that," he admitted. "She just already seems like she's mine, you know?"

"I do know," Mary Margaret murmured. "Well, I think that I should probably go back and get some sleep."

"But you don't have school tomorrow, stay. What if Emma gets sick again?" he asked.

The teacher sighed and shrugged. "Alright, I'll stay," she answered. "But you should let Emma's social worker know you do want to adopt her. I definitely think it's necessary."

"Of course. I promise you," David replied as he leaned over to her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, moving back slightly.

"I was going to seal that promise with a kiss. Can't I?"

"I suppose."

And so he did.

* * *

**Dena: **Thank you so much! :D Yes, Emma is extremely adorable.

**Raquell: **Yes, it is too soon. They still have to be practical haha, but eventually it will happen!

**Guest: **Haha! I'm sorry you're dead! Come back to life so you can read this chapter! :P


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